Free falling
by SuzieCat
Summary: Kain gets on a mission and meets a mysterious vampire lady. What do the hunters hide? Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight but I do like to take the characters out and play with them for awhile
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kain was exhausted, the day had been particularly busy and now all he wanted was to get some sleep. Being Kaname's right hand had its downsides in the form of working over hours sometimes. But he didn't want to complain. It was a good sign after all, meaning that Kaname trusted him and his judgement.

The sun's red crown was already visible at the horizon so he was most likely the last one wandering through the Kuran mansion. At least, he thought so but when he turned around the corner to enter the hallway leading to his room, he found Seiren leaning against the wall next to his door. As usual, she didn't waist any time with greeting: "Kaname wants to see you. Now." She pushed herself from the wall and vanished into the darkness of the hallway, leaving Kain without being able to answer. He sighed and turned around to go back to Kaname's office. He put a hand over his face, muttering a curse under his breath but there was no way of getting around this, Seiren's message had been crystal clear. Well, his bed would have to wait a bit longer then. On his way, he wondered what it would be that Kaname wanted to speak to him about so urgently. Kain' s brain wasn't able to come up with a decent explanation and once more, he sighed. It was too late and he was incredibly tired. The pureblood wouldn't call him without good reason and even he didn't understand what went on in Kaname's head for most of the time, Kain sensed that it had to be something important. 'Please, don't let it be Aidou' he thought. His cousin had a certain talent to get himself into trouble. And while he was still up and following Kaname's orders, his beloved cousin probably was already fast asleep or engaging in any sort of activity that included minimum another player, preferably female. Hanabusa was like a bee: always looking for nectar. Well, he didn't have to look long, the girls were practically throwing themselves to his cousin's feet, all Hanabusa had to do was pick them up and carry them to his bed. And that, he didn't need to be told twice. Kain shook his head and sighed. Sometimes, he wished to be able to be more like Hanabusa. But then, who would look out for his cousin if it wouldn't be him? One had to keep a level head and this one wasn't Hanabusa.

Kaname's office was at the other end of the mansion and after getting downstairs and making some turns, Kain reached his destination. The heavy wooden door was ajar and he could feel the pureblood's presence on the other side. He waited, his thoughts reeling with anticipation.

"You may enter" came the order from within. Kain opened the door and prepared instinctively for the onslaught of power one feels when being around Kaname. Its presence thickened the air and made it almost impossible to breath normally. One should think that he had been gotten used to the sensation by now but it was still a conscious effort for him not to stop breathing altogether. Kaname was standing at the window, gazing at something only he could see. Funny, Kain mused to himself, even before he entered, he knew where the pureblood would stand, the window was his favorite spot and only God and Kaname himself knew why he liked it so much. And as always, his face was bearing this expression of unspeakable grief and burden. Even with Yuuki around now, he was brooding most of the time and Kain often wondered how she could put up with so much moodiness. But then again, a few weeks ago, Kain had been able to catch a glimpse of them being together in the backyard when they obviously thought nobody would be watching. Kaname looked quite happy and relaxed spending some quality time with the pureblood princess. It must be hard for him to let down his guard completely, always being on top of the game took its toll. Kain couldn't help to feel a bit compassion for the pureblood.

Kain paused after he had made a few steps into the room and waited patiently for their gang leader to address him. He stopped his thoughts from wandering and steeled himself for whatever Kaname was going to say. Finally, Kaname turned his head and his black eyes looked directly into his. Kain stood his ground and bowed his head slightly. "Kaname-sama" he greeted sincerely.

"There has been going on some activity in the hunter's association lately" Kaname's deep and melodic voice flooded through the room and the air around the pureblood vibrated visibly. He slowly went back to his huge oak desk at the left side of the office to sit down and stretch his legs. His movements were graceful, his whole being was ethereal and beyond beautiful but yet extremely lethal. Kain had seen it many times that Kaname's opponents marveled a blink of a second too long about his ethereal manner which was enough to get them killed. At least, they didn't see it coming and died with a somewhat relaxed expression on their faces. Kain had to refrain from chuckling and yanked his mind back to the presence. Kaname looked at him intently, somewhat amused. "A penny for your thoughts." It wasn't a question.

If there had opened a hole in the floor in front of him, he would have gladly jumped in without thinking just to escape the embarrassment. What was he thinking? 'Get your act together, Akatsuki!' he scolded himself silently.

"We've been watching them for some weeks now and it seems that their actions are concentrated to a certain area" Kain replied quickly to cover his tracks. He was not sure what else to say. It was no news to them that the hunter's association had been engaging in some sort of secretive activity for a couple of months now. They never were able to find out what exactly it was about. Kain knew that this was driving the pureblood mad since he had been spending quite an amount of time and resources to find out. Hell, there likely wasn't anything on this earth which could hide from Kaname and yet the association managed to do exactly it. Kaname had a legion of spies and none of them had been retrieving any useful information so far. It was simply frustrating. All they knew was that the actions were concentrated in an area approximately 50 miles from the association's headquarters away. A small town, completely unsuspicious and never a target of any vampiric activity. No ballistic level E's, no nobles and not to mention purebloods have ever set a foot in this town. So why such a fuss? What were they up to, for Pete's sake? The more Kain thought about it, the louder the hammering ache in his head became. Instinctively, he lifted his right hand and pressed it against his temple. This annoying one of a headache wouldn't go away and had been bothering him since this morning.

Kaname chuckled. "Do not be too hard on yourself, Kain." He leaned forward, resting his palms calmly on the wooden surface of the desk. If there had be a trace of a smile in Kaname's face, it was gone by now and he looked frighteningly sincere. "But there have been recents events which are forcing me to give up our passive attitude towards the association's plans." It was impossible to ignore the rage underneath those words. And Kain understood immediately. Kaname wanted him to be the one who made the first step out of the cover in order to provoke some kind of reaction from the hunter's association. It was a risky mission and Kaname was walking on a fine line here. To give up cover and make a move could point the association to the fact that Kaname was suspicious in the first place. And this would shake the diplomatic relationship between humans and vampires. Kaname's goal of a peaceful coexistence of both races could be at stake. "A few hours ago, the association let a level E deliberately escape. He killed a human before Seiren was able to bring it down." The words reached Kain's ears and brought him back to attention. Kaname's mood had shifted considerably within the last minute, he was out of a sudden like a black hole at the center of the room drawing all energy into his abyss. The window where Kaname had stood before cracked and hundreds of splitters were flying through the air, the sun making them glittering quite beautifully. The tension subsided then and Kaname looked at him encouragingly. Kain blinked. Wow, he would never get used to their gang leader's impulsive tendencies he showed sometimes. But now, the steam was obviously off and he allowed himself to relax and focus on the matter at hand.

"That goes against everything the hunter's association stands for. Why would they let a level E escape?" Kain's mind picked up pace. Forgotten was his tiredness, this was serious business. If this really was the case, then something evil was the motivation behind it.

"That is exactly what I am determined to find out." Kaname answered to his unspoken thought and stood up. Even Kain was taller than the pureblood, their both eyes seemed to be at the same level. "I have arranged for a car, you will be leaving before sunset." Kaname paused and Kain nodded. "You may enter now, Seiren." The white haired vampire entered the room, quickly closing the distance between the door and the desk.

"Kaname-sama" She spoke solemnly.

"Seiren, please instruct Kain as we discussed earlier. I expect a full report when I am awake." Then, Kaname turned to Kain to address him directly. "Kain, I will see you back in my house soon." It was an order, Kain was supposed to not get himself killed along the way. With this said, Kaname retreated to his private chambers. Kain swallowed. He had known that it was going to be a dangerous mission but Kaname's last words rubbed it in without any doubt. But always been a pragmatic mind, there was no sense in dwelling on it, so he quickly recovered and turned to Seiren who was standing next to him, looking nothing but uninvolved. But Kain was absolutely sure that she had understood the meaning of Kaname's words as clearly as he had. Despite her composure, she was an extremely observing person.

Seiren moved around the desk to stand next to Kaname's chair and took a pile of papers lying in front of her. It looked like maps and a couple of pictures. She spread them on the desk and started to explain: "There is a shelter outside of town where you are going to stay for the duration of this mission." She pointed at a spot marked with a red X on the map in an area east of town. It looked like this place was deep in the woods. "We can say for sure that this area is clean of any hunters activity so this is going to be your headquarters." Kain memorized every single detail since he was sure not to be allowed to take the maps and pictures with him.

"What about the pictures?" Kain pressed. There was little time and he needed to get at least a hand full of sleep before leaving.

Seiren nodded. "This one here" - she pointed to a rather large pixeled, black and white picture of a man - "is the head of the operation. We don't know much, only that he joined the association a year ago. His background is unknown but we're checking into it. Might be some sort of military. He is twenty four-seven on site, their headquarters is here." The spot on the map was in the center of the town. 'Why in such an exposed position?' Kain thought. The headquarters was a complex of buildings which occupied a whole block with the east side bordering on a park.

"The other two," Seiren moved on, "are scientists." The three pictures showed each a sturdy man in his probably forties and an older woman with short gray hair at different occasions. One of them had been made at a banquet because the man was wearing a tux and the woman some sort of cocktail dress. Kain looked closer at the woman's face, something had caught his eye, something familiar. The quality of the picture wasn't excellent but still good enough for him to recognize the ugly scar which covered the woman's left cheek. "I know her." Seiren tensed beside him and looked up at him. It was quite a stretch for her but she managed to maintain a serious expression on her face.

"Where do you know her from?"

"I attended that particular banquet as well. Two years ago, it was a charity event at the association's headquarters. She and her companion were inseparable the whole evening. It almost looked as if she wasn't allowed to walk around on her own. I remember her because of that scar in her face, everyone was staring at her that evening." Kain answered, recalling the evening. "Hanabusa and me were attending. Kaname wanted to show good will so he sent two of us."

"Did you talk to her?"

"No. I didn't talk to anybody. Hanabusa didn't talk to her, either. But I can't tell for the rest of the crowd. We weren't supposed to mingle but you know how Hanabusa can be sometimes, he was having quite some fun with Kiryuu." It had been what turned out to be a horrible night. Kain and Hanabusa had been the only vampires in a crowd of hunters and he still cursed Kaname for his diplomatic decision to put them on display at that event. But the ever so bright and cheerful Hanabusa hadn't cared, instead, he took off with Zero. It was still a mystery to Kain why Hanabusa and Zero liked each other because they didn't have anything in common. Actually, they had been bickering at each other the whole time, but Kain honestly had the feeling that they had kind of enjoyed it though they would never admit it - but what did he know, right? And besides, he had to focus on more important things right now.

"Well, that won't change anything" Seiren retorted, quickly moving on. "She is not the problem - he is." Her pointer finger landed on the face of the woman's companion. Pressing her finger tip on the man's face, it seemed to Kain as if she wanted to smash the man's head right here.

She drew a key out of her left pocket, handing it over to Kain. "The car will be parked at the back entrance of the house at 5-0-0 sharp. And pack light. You will have to leave the car here" - she marked a spot on the map - "and walk the last part of the way up to the cabin." Kain nodded.

"Anything else?" He now was hardly able to hold his eyes open. His head was hammering, causing him trouble to stand up straight.

Seiren paused. Kain thought to notice the expression of anger on her face but it was gone before he could really catch it.

"Yes. Your contact person will be waiting for you in the shelter. She -" He never had seen Seiren having difficulties to bring a sentence to an end but here she was: stopping at the word 'she' and obviously trying to keep herself in check. She succeeded and finished quickly what she was about to say: "She will have further information for you and you both will work on this mission together." The next second, she was at the door holding it open for him. He was dismissed.

He still wondered what this little episode was about when passing her. This woman who was supposed to be his contact person must have done something extraordinary to rattle Seiren. Now he was even more curious to meet her.

"Good night, Seiren." The corner of his mouth twitched and he really had to restrain himself from smirking at her.

She didn't bother to answer him. He rolled his eyes when he had his back to her and went back to his bedroom. Being unable to hold his eyes open for another minute, Kain didn't undress and the minute his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The alarm went off at 4:30 PM. Kain opened his eyes and blinked. Thank God, the headache was gone and he sat up. Looking down at himself, he noticed the hadn't changed into his pj's. His hands went up through his hair, it always looked disheveled in the morning. Thirty minutes should be enough though to get a shower and pack some things. He got out of the bed and went to the bathroom.

The water was conveniently warm and he let it rinse over his head out of pure joy, snorted when it ran into his mouth and nose and tried to relax his shoulder blades by moving them in little circles. Kain spent a few moments thinking about the mission lying ahead of him. They know little about the hunter's association's activity and it could become dangerous to dig deeper into the matter, even more so if the association wanted to hide something from them. But he was determined to find out and now, that he thought about it, he had to admit that he was excited about the prospect to get out of the Kuran mansion and its sometimes depressive atmosphere. He needed a break from the small tight knit community they had been developing over the last few of months. At the beginning, after they had left the academy and moved into the mansion, he had hoped that the opportunity would present itself to get closer to Ruka since Kaname and Yuuki had become a couple again. For everyone from the outside, Ruka had given up pursuing the idea of a relationship with Kaname since the fateful night at the academy Kaname had awaken Yuuki. She had even assured Hanabusa and him back then that she accepted the reality. But Kain knew differently. He had been watching her and he knew the signs when he saw them: the way she glanced at Kaname when she thought nobody was watching her, her reserved and sometimes repellent behavior towards Yuuki and above all this the fact that she still was bearing this aura of a deeply wounded person. There were times when he hated Kaname for drinking her blood that night when he couldn't have Yuuki's, fully aware of the feelings Ruka had for him. How could he let his self-control slip so lightly? Kaname's bloodlust must have been overwhelming, but still… He was supposed to stand above all this and make the right decision. Jesus, he was the goddamn ancestor, a superior being and as such he needed to stay the fuck away from her. As so often, Kain was asking himself what would have happened if Kaname hadn't drunk Ruka's blood that night. He knew that it was stupid to even entertain this trail of thoughts since he couldn't change what had been done. In all those years, he had been near her, had hold her and listened when she was devastated by Kaname's half-heartedness towards her. But there was still a distance between both of them, a line Kain never dared to cross with her, all because of that single night. Gosh, he really needed to get away from all this, even if it was only for a couple of days. All of a sudden, he couldn't breathe freely anymore, rage brooding behind his chest, clogging his tubes. Steam began to rise from his skin from the heat building up inside him. His flat hand crushed against the tiles in the shower, leaving a crack in the wall and a cut in his palm. The sudden sting of pain and the smell of his own blood brought him back to his senses and he snapped out of it. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. It was about time to get ready. Should deal whoever with the crack in the wall, he so didn't care.

At exactly 4:59 PM he stepped out of the back door. The sun was already setting but he put on his sun glasses anyways. He had only packed a bag with a set of changing clothes and a book he started reading a couple of days ago. Just as he reached the gate leading out to the graveled driveway, a black pick up truck drove around the corner and stopped right in front of him. Well, he definitely was going to enjoy the ride in that baby. Seiren got off the car, strode over to him and handed him an envelope.

"It contains a few more instructions from Kaname. From now on, you'll be on your own. Good luck." Kain took the envelope and decided to read it later. He wanted to get moving.

"Thank you, Seiren."

The white haired vampire just nodded and paused. She looked like she was going to say something but then she turned around and went back to the mansion. Kain shrugged and got into the car. He turned the key and marveled about the engine's sound. It was sweet music in his ears. He turned the wheel and drove the driveway up to the main street. There, he made a left turn, leaving the Kuran mansion quickly behind.

The drive was incredibly relaxing. Kain made sure that nobody was following him but after one hour of driving without any incidence, he eased up and let his thoughts wander. He browsed the radio but didn't find anything appealing so he turned it off. The only noise was coming then from the engine, the steady grumble soothing his stressed mind.

He hadn't said good-bye to anyone but he was sure that Kaname would be filling them in right now. He only hoped that Hanabusa would stay out of trouble for the time he was gone. They had looked out for each other since they had been kids and now it was actually the first time they were separated for a longer period of time. Hanabusa was like a brother to him, he wouldn't stand it if anything happened to him while he was gone. But there wasn't anything Kain could do right now so he simply prayed that Hanabusa would actually use his ingenious brain. And then there was Ruka… well, she didn't care half as much about him as he did about her so why even bother? He knew that he was being sullen but he couldn't help it. And right now, it was making him feel better so he went for it. Besides, this mission was going to demand a lot of concentration from him and he wasn't going to waste the rest of his resources to dwell over the fact that she never returned his affection for her. But in the back of his mind, there was still this nagging feeling that he was wronging her with his hasty judgement. He mentally stomped on it and would deal with the broken fragments later.

After another uneventful hour of driving he reached the place where he was supposed to park the car. It was an abandoned gas station sitting in the middle of a dusty T-junction. He drove the car to the back where the garage was. The small place was surrounded by woods. The whole area looked pretty much uninhabited but Kain didn't want to take any chances and parked the car in the old garage. He got off the truck and made a quick assessment of his surroundings. Tools, old tires and a couple of small containers (containing some kind of fluid, it looked like engine oil to him) were scattered all over the place. It looked messy if someone was only glancing at the scenery but there seemed to be an order behind things on closer inspection. The station was still in pretty good shape considering that its last owner was gone quite some time ago because the equipment looked indeed antique to him but still maintained in a way. And though he had to admit that it looked a bit shaggy around the edges, someone had to come around from time to time to do basic housekeeping. Now that he had conducted a closer examination it was very obvious to him that this place was one of Kaname's hide-outs. He pulled out the envelope of his pocket and ripped it open. It contained one sheet of paper. As Kain unfolded it, he recognized Kaname's handwriting. It was just a few lines and it said:

Rest assured that I am going to keep an eye on your dear cousin. I have already found a temporary assignment which will occupy him completely. Once you have reached the gas station, look out for the wolf. Kaname

Kain had to smile at the first part of the message. Poor Hanabusa, he was going to suffer really badly. Well, but at least he could cross this point off his list, his cousin was going to be safe as long as he was gone. And he was sure that he would soon find out about the wolf. It was typical for Kaname to speak in riddles but Kain didn't really care. He couldn't do much more than to keep his eyes open while he would be moving.

The night had already fully settled so it was time to move on. He grabbed his backpack from the passenger's seat, locked the car and stepped out into the darkness. Kain stood still for a moment and listened. His vampire senses picked up the whispering coming from the wind and some rustling from the underwood. But besides that, everything was peaceful. He closed the 100 feet distance to the skirts of the woods quickly and had to make his way thru thick coppice at first. After a minute or so, the interspace between the bushes grew wider and soon there were only moss and leaves beneath his feet because the tree crowns would let only little day light touch the ground.

After another fifteen minutes where he had been able to cover a good deal of the way, he noticed a movement at his left out of the corner of his eyes. He paused in his tracks and looked into the direction the movement had been. There it was again, a grey shadow, almost invisible in the night but he didn't miss it since his vampire eyes were well adapted to the dark. Kain crouched down behind the nearest tree to bring the trunk between him and whatever was creeping through the woods. With the length of his back pressed to tree bark, Kain hold his breath and listened carefully. His vampire senses kicked in and he closed his eyes to completely concentrate on the creature which seemed to have stopped, too. He didn't hear a sound, even the whisper of the wind was gone and the forest lied in absolute silence. The quietness was surreal, but then his ears suddenly picked up a faint heartbeat. It wasn't a human heartbeat, the drums were faster and had a higher pitch and from all Kain could tell, this didn't match with his experiences he had had with humans. But it wasn't vampire either. He stood up and stepped out of his cover. Maybe thirty feet away, two yellow eyes stared at him. The wolf, Kain thought instantly and relaxed.

"There you are," he said. The sound of his voice reverberated thru the woods. The animal turned around and ran into the direction Kain had been heading, stopped after a yard or so, tilting its head to the side and looked at him invitingly. Kain understood and followed the wolf thru the woods. They made good progress and after a while, Kain lost track of time and just ran with the wolf. The running felt so good and he wondered if he should do it more often since it seemed to have a quite positive impact on him. He would definitely give it a try when he was back at the mansion.

The night was chilly but it didn't bother him, he loved the sensation of crisp air on his face while he was running over the mossy ground. Despite the high pace the wolf set Kain was breathing evenly, his vampire constitution allowing him to follow the grey animal effortlessly. Soon, the ground became cragged and the went slightly uphill. In this terrain, the wolf clearly had an advantage due to his four feet and Kain had to work a bit harder to keep up. As he reached the top, the wolf already waited for him sitting on a small rock like a statue and his yellow eyes glowing in the dark. The wolf didn't move when Kain stepped up to him, it only looked over its shoulder. Kain followed its gaze. They obviously had reached the shelter.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So… we are there, aren't we." Kain said to the animal. The wolf wagged his tail shortly, jumped down from its rock and trotted to the cabin. Kain paused for a second to look closer at the scene. The small house sat in the middle of high ground surrounded by a trees which made it almost impossible to spot, especially since no light was being emitted from the inside. The half moon only sent little light down and wouldn't be it for his vampiric eyes which were well adapted to the dark he wouldn't see not much more than a shades of dark grey. Kain started moving again and walked directly towards the entrance. As he came closer, he recognized that two pairs of yellow eyes and and a vampire were already waiting for him. He stopped when he was about 10 feet away from the odd group. The vampire was a tall woman with hair to her hips waving slightly around her lean frame from the nightly breeze. She was wearing a black turtle neck and leggins with heavy boots. The whole outfit was quite slim-fitting and revealed her athletic physique. Kain had to admit that she was quite an impressive sight. She stood with one wolf to either side and was to speak first.

"Akatsuki Kain, we welcome you." Her voice was clear like a bell and the words purled from her lips like creek water over rocks. She bowed her head slightly. "I am Akane. Kaname informed me that you were going to arrive tonight."

"Well, it seems as if you have been informed correctly." Kain concluded and bowed his head as well to respond to her greeting. When he looked back up again, she was actually smiling at him openly. It was one hell of a smile, warm and open, which made him smile back before he knew what he was doing. She then stepped aside to invite him in with an elegant gesture and he approached the cabin. "Please, come inside and make yourself comfortable. I will be with you shortly." Her voice was simply amazing and certainly not from this world, Kain decided. She opened the door to let him in and then turned around to join the two wolves again which were still waiting and now looking at her expectantly. Kain stood in the door and watched her kneeling down next to them. Both wolves started whimpering and licked her face and hands devotedly. She had her eyes closed and the expression on her face was that of simple joy. Kain felt both captivated and uncomfortable at the same time watching the scene before his eyes but he couldn't bring himself to pull away, fascinated by the display of deep and true affection. He felt a sting in his heart as he realized hadn't been feeling this kind of love for a long time. When he was a little kid, he had felt this way towards his mother, enjoying the hugs and kisses she gave him and bathing in her unconditional love. For the last couple of years, he had been hoping that he could share something similar with Ruka as his mate. At some days, he so desperately wished to be with her, to hold her and to laugh with her in an untroubled way that he had thought he would go mad over the certainty that his wish would never come true. He clenched his fists digging his nails into his palms as if the physical pain could make the pain in his soul go away.

"Kain-san?" Her clear voice was filled with apprehension and Kain quickly opened his fists before the nails could cut into his flesh.

Kain scrambled to find some words and he managed to say with a steady voice: "I am fine, thank you. I should go inside now." He turned around, went inside and closed the door quietly behind him. He stand in the what it looked like the only room of this shelter. He ran a hand thru his hair and sighed. This was just going to be perfect, he thought ironically. Only one room for both of them and he nearly had lost it already after five minutes. He really needed to get himself under control - when had the whole Ruka thing gotten to him in such a way that he became angry every time he thought about her? Sometimes he wondered how he still could have hope since it was so obvious even to him that Ruka wasn't going to change her feelings towards him. But hope springs eternal so he had been torturing himself with phantasies in which she came to him, smiling invitingly and gently pulling his lips to hers… No! He was so not going down this road again. Instead, he forced himself to look around. It was actually a nice room, the kitchen was on the left side surrounded by a bar, the dining table right in front of it. There was a couch covered with pillows and blankets, a small table and an armchair. There were two doors to the right, one led to the small patio outside and the other was obviously the door to the bathroom. Since it was ajar, he could see that is was a rather tiny space. Thick curtains covered the windows in the kitchen and the living area so that no light from the fireplace could sneak outside. As he glanced over the interior, he didn't see any lamps or other electronic devices so he assumed that this place didn't have any electricity. He didn't remember to see any power lines around the house either. Kain shrugged, he didn't bother to have to live without modern amenities for a while.

While he was standing there, his senses picked up a small noise from outside. Apparently, Akane was still standing outside to give him some alone time and he felt grateful for her compassion. But he couldn't impossibly make her wait any longer so he cleared his throat audibly and did some rustling of his own while putting his backpack on the couch. The message was picked up promptly and she entered the cabin. He turned around to see her coming in.

She stood for a mere second to quickly assess the situation and then closed the door. Now, with the warm light coming from the fireplace, Kain could see that her hair was actually a dark reddish-brown. It fell loosely around her shoulders and ended at her hips. It was thick, straight and beautiful. And so was the rest of her, as he had to admit to himself. Her skin had the color of porcelain, her cheeks still rosy from the chilly air outside. She was tall, maybe only a couple of inches smaller than him, and her frame was slender, yet feminine with curves at just the right places. The color of her eyes was that of a dark brown, almost black, surrounded by long eye lashes. Her nose was small and her lips had a perfect shape fitting nicely to the rest of her features. Putting all of that together, she was quite gorgeous and Kain found himself wondering what it would be like to touch her silky hair. Gosh, was he already emotionally so deprived that he had to think about touching a woman's hair who he only had been knowing for five minutes? Hanabusa would laugh at him for being so sensitive, he most likely looked at women all the time that way and Kain was sure that his cousin's thoughts not only included touching hair. And before Kain could stop himself from thinking any further, he wondered if Akane would actually let him touch it. Well, he wasn't going to find out, was he?

The whole time, she was standing there, patiently enduring his stare. Kain had the impression that she also had been assessing his features which was only fair given the direction his thoughts were going. Her eyes trailed shortly over his physique and then back to his face. She smiled at him which made his stomach doing funny things.

"Are you hungry, Kain-san?" Kain wished she would call him Akatsuki but didn't say it out loud.

Now, that she had asked, his stomach growled as if it wanted to answer before he could decline the offer. He smiled helplessly: "Yes, actually I am hungry."

"Well, then let us make something to eat first before we sit together and talk about business." By saying this, she strode over to the kitchen area and started to rummage around in the drawers for ingredients and cooking utensils. Kain followed her. "Can you use a helping hand?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be lovely. You can cut the vegetables while I will be preparing the rice." After handing him a cutting board, a sharp knife and a bag with mixed vegetables, she took her hair and braided it so it wouldn't get in the way.

They worked in silence for a couple of minutes and Kain let his mind wander. The cabin looked neat and the interior looked cosy. He wondered where he was going to sleep since there was only one room with one couch. He would make his bed on the floor then, he decided. Now that he was closer to her, he was able to take in her scent. She smelled of wood, animal, fresh air and underneath all of that, there was something else, a slightly sweet fragrance with a hint of vanilla. The mix made his head swirl a little so he tried to concentrate on the task in front of him. But cutting vegetables wasn't this sophisticated altogether and soon he found himself being distracted by her scent again. 'How old might she be?' Kain mused and looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. She seemed to be young but not as young as he was. The skin of her face was flawless, it had a silky shimmer which was nicely accentuated by the warm light coming from the fireplace. Maybe she was about three or four years older than him but he couldn't say for sure. All he could tell so far was that she must be noble like him and, of course, that she had Kaname's trust, otherwise she wouldn't be here, would she?. What were her noble abilities then? He was curious to find out but didn't dare to ask since he considered it being rude. Oh, how he wished at this moment, Hanabusa would be here with them, he would easily do conversation with her, twisting her around his little finger with his charming personality and getting to know everything about her in less than ten minutes. But his cousin wasn't here and Kain simply didn't know how to do smalltalk with an attractive woman. And that she was indeed. She wasn't a girl, she was a grown up woman, a fact which let his confidence shrink even more. He silently hoped that they would get soon to talk about the mission and why he was here, at least this was familiar terrain and he would have facts to hold on to. Right now, all the facts he had were her enticing scent and his desire to touch her hair and he definitely wasn't going to talk about either of them. He must have sighed out loudly because she turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"Am I intimidating you?" she asked him point-blank. Her eyes were black coal and her face was bearing a friendly expression.

Kain slowly put the knife he was cutting the veggies with aside and took that moment to gather himself. Frankly, she confused him but he wasn't that stupid to tell her. Besides, intimidation wasn't the correct characterization of the feelings she triggered, it was more a fuzzy attraction. But there's was no way he could tell her that either. Gathering his thoughts, he inhaled.

"No," he spoke with a firm voice and met her gaze, releasing his breath, "you are not." She seemed to consider this for a second, her eyes searching his face for signs of a lie. Then she smiled at him, obviously pleased by his answer.

"Good," she replied. She obviously was a person of few words and Kain was relieved that she wasn't making a fuss about it. He watched her as she ignited the camping stove she put earlier on the counter top and put a pan with water on it, added the rice and stirred until the water began to boil. She turned the heat down to let it simmer, stirred one more time and then started to set the table. Kain looked down at his hands. It was quite unlike him to get distracted so easily. Maybe it was because he was for himself for the first time in the last couple of years. He had always been around his cousin and Ruka, had looked out for them. He had been so busy caring for them that he had been holding back his own inner thoughts and desires unknowingly. Still, he needed to keep focused on the mission which laid ahead of them. This wasn't a self-help trip, Kaname had given him clear orders and he was determined to obey. When all of this was over, he still could go back to this point and think about how to put things straight.

Kain almost jumped out of his skin when Akane started speaking directly from behind him: "You are done, great. Wait, I will give you a bowl for these." He could feel her warm breath in his neck. The small hair on his forearms stood up from the sensation and made him having goosebumps. Jesus, she had a talent to catch him off guard. 'You can do this, Akatsuki,' he told himself, took a deep breath and turned around holding the cutting board in his hand. He even managed to smile. Since the kitchen was rather narrow, he almost bumped into her but she had good reflexes and stepped aside before anything happened.

"Easy with that." She took the cutting board out of his hands and at doing so, her fingers stroke his for a split second. Their eyes met at the accidental touch, Kain's heart skipping a beat, causing him to hold his breath. She looked almost as shocked as he felt, a silent gasp on her lips which made him swallow the next moment because she looked undeniably adorable. Being completely unprepared, the desire to kiss her hit him flatfooted, overwhelming in its intensity and he consciously had to hold back reaching out to her face with his hands. Above all, it wasn't so that he could simply give in and do it, was it? She most likely would grill him right at the spot. Still irritated, Kain buried the thought quickly since he practically never had such a mood, especially not with strange women. Of course, he had been wanting to kiss Ruka for a long time and every time he saw her (and pretty much the rest of the time, too), imagining how her lips would feel on his. But that was different, he had been nourishing deep feelings for her since they were kids so this was something comprehensible to him. So where had this just come from again? And most of all, this wasn't helpful, they were supposed to work together and Kaname hadn't sent him here to fall head over heels for this woman.

She must have seen his inner turmoil displayed on his face because she quickly dropped her eyes and turned his back to him.

"We should start talking about the mission while the food is cooking," she said curtly, retrieving a pan from the cupboard. He couldn't see her face but her voice sounded a bit gloomy and he instantly wondered if he had offended her sensibilities in any way. Kain didn't dare to ask but he didn't want to apologize either since he could have just imagined things and then the situation would get even more awkward.

So he settled for something neutral: "Yes, that sounds like a good idea." He went to the dining table in the middle of the room and sat down. She still was busy in the kitchen with her back to him and he couldn't avert his gaze from her shoulder blades moving under the black fabric of her shirt. Her frame was slender but he could also perceive the firm muscles underneath. The image of her sprawling naked back popped up in his head out of nowhere and Kain's eyes trailed down to her waist imagining his hands grasping her from both sides and trailing all the way up her spine. He wondered what her skin would feel like under his palms. The pounding of his heart quickened at the very thought and he hold his breath. Damn, Jesus! She offered an erotic image and he was so going with it. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her this way? 'Breathe,' he told himself and his mouth opened to take in the needed air. Moving one hand up to cover his face, he tried to repress the thirst for blood. The other hand fumbled in his pocket for the small pill box, his fingers clutched around it. Pushing back the chair with more force than intended, he stood up so that it almost fell over but he didn't care. A few quick steps and he was in the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him. He shakily took one pill from the box and threw it in, washing down the bitter taste with some cold water, splashing some in his face in the hope it would bring him back to his senses. Hanabusa would laugh at him, as a matter of fact. When it came to women, his cousin always had the right touch and Kain secretly admired him for this attitude. He stared into the mirror, thank God, searching his eyes for any traces of blood but the episode was over, his eyes bearing their normal color. He already felt a bit steadier but still needed a moment to recover from the onslaught of thirst. Most likely, it had come from all the activity and the long run thru the woods, his body only reacting to its needs. The pill would help him to get it under control. In his mind, he counted to ten, took a deep breath and reached for the door.

"I can do this," he muttered to himself, opening the bathroom door to re-enter the living room. Akane sat at the table and looked up. There was a pile of paper and photographs in front of her and she was obviously sorting thru it. Neither her dark eyes nor her face gave away anything, she was perfectly calm. With a nod of her head, she indicated him to sit down. He complied and took the seat opposite from her. She handed him a couple of pictures and he instantly recognized the persons in it as the ones Seiren showed him earlier. Though the settings were different, it became evident that the two seemed to inseparable. In one particular photograph, the man hold the grey haired woman's arm and even Kain could see that it wasn't a gentle touch. Surely, the poor woman had had bruises afterwards. Alarm bells went off in the back of his head because quite everything about this man seemed to be wrong and Kain recalled the details of the banquet where he had seen the strange couple. The man had a sturdy physique and squashed face, short blonde hair. His neck was kind of non-existent since his head sat directly between his shoulders which gave him an ape like look. The whole night, he hadn't left the woman's side and made sure that nobody had been able to talk to her who he hadn't approved before. All in all, she had probably talked to two or three people, not that he had kept track of it but when he had seen them they had been standing alone. The woman was probably in her early fifties due to her grey hair but that was really the only indicator because she was that sort of woman who didn't seem to have an age at all. She must have been beautiful, too, before someone or something disfigured her face by causing her an ugly scar which covered her left cheek.

Looking over the pictures, he was the first to speak: "Seiren said that he is our target."

Akane nodded: "Yes, we need to eliminate him first to get to her."

Kain's eyes shot up. Did she just say eliminate? He began to feel a bit uneasy, his neck hair standing up and sending a shiver down his spine. He never killed a man before.

"Kaname gave strict orders to avoid any damage, human or infrastructure wise, under any circumstances. So you may understand the expression in a metaphoric way." She smiled reassuringly as if she had noticed his distress. Not knowing that he had tensed up at all, Kain felt the tension leaving his body and he relaxed a bit upon Akane's words. Of course, Kaname would never risk anything to shatter the fragile human vampire relationship if it weren't to protect his subjects. And even that he wasn't completely sure of.

"So how are we going to get past him?" Kain asked. He could tell from the pictures that the man was some sort of fighter, his muscular body barely fitting in the suit. So the question wasn't if he put up a fight, it rather was how much of a fight he would put up. Probably enough though.

"We have not been able to retrieve any information about him. He literally came out of nowhere. No records at all. Almost like a ghost," Akane explained, the expression on her face clearly showing frustration. "So it makes it difficult to find out about his weakness if he has any."

"Everybody has a weak spot. It's a just a matter of time but we'll find out eventually." Leaning back on his chair, Kain crossed his arms before his chest and looked at her confidently. She didn't look convinced though. Skeptically, she raised one eyebrow.

"But we are running out of time. By now, we have to assume that they made considerable progress with whatever they are doing. Kaname cannot afford being left in the dark any longer, it might damage his efforts permanently." Breathing out audibly, she threw her hands up, letting herself fall back in the chair.

"So what are we going to do then if timing is critical?" Kain asked, leaning forward. "Have we figured out yet if there is any way to get into the building complex?" He turned the map so that he could actually read it, scanning over the features of the building and its surroundings.

"The only access point would be from the park, the other sides are almost impossible to penetrate since the narrow streets do not provide much cover," Akane's voice was coming directly from behind him. Kain blinked, her presence humming in every cell of his body as if she just had stroke a cord, making it to tune itself to her. How did she do it? He hadn't either seen or heard her getting up and moving over to his side of the table, but yet she was standing right next to him, one hand resting on the back of his chair while her other hand hovered over the map. She was close, too close, since he could feel her torso almost touching his left shoulder, her scent swirling around him and causing his thoughts going into an entirely different direction than just a couple of seconds ago. Sitting absolutely still, Kain held his breath, not trying to think about how small the distance between his body and her breasts actually was. God, she smelled amazing!

A gentle breeze tickled his left ear as she spoke again, sending a tingling sensation down his spine. "The trees will provide enough cover to get close to the complex, from there I will be able to make it to the outer wall without being seen." Barely listening to her words, Kain managed to nod, completely wrapped up in her scent and the melodic sound of her voice. Was she using some sort of mind control on him? The thought popped up in the back of his head but quickly disappeared again before he was able to grasp it. It didn't matter anymore because in that moment, she moved even impossibly closer to reach a certain spot on the map. Being prepared this time, Kain closed his eyes, waiting for the sensation of her touch to slam his senses - nothing. Irritated, Kain looked to his left side, only to see - nothing. He looked across the table and there she sat, her dark eyes meeting his with an intensity that knocked him almost off the chair.

"You are not listening, Kain-san," she scolded him softly with a sort of concerned expression on her face.

Was he imagining things? He could swear by the life of his mother that she just had been standing right next to him, her sweet scent still lingering in the air around him. No, he wasn't making this up, so how did she do it then? In his mind, he sighed and put up the blankest face he was able to muster. If he wanted to find out, he would have to ask.

"How did you do it?" He knew instantly that she hadn't expected him to ask this kind of question because her eyes wavered for the tiniest amount of time, still long enough for him to notice though.

"Did what?" Obviously, she opted for denial as a defense, her tone dangerously neutral and her black eyes pinching right thru him. Quickly, Kain mulled over his options. On the one hand, he could just spit it out, confronting her directly with his suspicion that she had been using some sort of noble powers on him, could demand that she had to stop right here. But then what? Would he actually abandon the mission and disobey Kaname's orders if she refused to stop? And even if so, his accusations stood on shaky ground, only based on what his crazy brain had made him believe was real. He couldn't impossibly confront her like that, he needed to gather more information first. So, unfortunately, it came down to option number two which was to play along and wait for another opportunity. He only hoped that it wouldn't affect their mission significantly. Knowing that Kaname trusted him, the pureblood leader had dropped any hint about Akane being not trustworthy neither in their conversation the night before he left nor in the letter Seiren had given him. Coming to think about it, he could as well have gone crazy, hallucinating things. He never thought of himself being prone to female attractiveness besides Ruka's. She was the only one he'd ever considered as a significant other, there hadn't been anybody else. Not that girls - both vampire and human - wouldn't try but it hadn't been really affecting him - until now. At the sole thought of drooling school girls back in academy, he inwardly cringed. The walk from the moon dorm to the class rooms had always been an embarrassment for both vampires and humans, making him feel uncomfortable with all the girls begging for a crumb of his affection. But yet here he was, having day dreams of a woman he barely knew. Granted, the situation he was in now was completely different, with Akane being an undeniably attractive woman, tall and slender with dark eyes and thick, long hair which framed her just beautifully. Something about her stroke a cord inside him but he hadn't been able to exactly put a finger on it yet. Maybe he was emotionally so deprived that his brain had gone into overload? When he had left the Kuran mansion this morning he hadn't been exactly in a calm state of mind. God, this morning! It already sounded so distant to him, sitting in a cabin in the midst of the woods, his only company being a mysterious yet breathtaking woman. To him, putting it like that, it sounded more like a romance novel than a mission their gang leader had sent him into, the sole thought making him chuckle.

"I am glad to see that you are enjoying yourself, Kain-san," Akane's voice brought him back into the moment, her intense stare letting him wonder if she could be able to pull his thoughts directly out of his head. Jesus, why did he have to embarrass himself in front of her all the time?

"Never mind," he answered quickly. Fortunately, before either one of them was able to speak another word, a rattling sound from the kitchen saved him.

"Dinner is ready." Akane stood up and strode over to the kitchen area. Her movements were fluent and graceful, simply beyond human as Kain had to notice. Maybe he should give up wondering why he felt the way he did about her and enjoy the sight instead because it was without a doubt a wonderful sight. Hanabusa would have congratulated him to this decision but, unfortunately, he was nothing like his cousin so he quickly buried the idea deeply in the back of his mind. It was absolutely out of question that he would hit on her, even entertaining the thought of doing so was way out of line. But still, looking at her while she was fixing the dinner in the kitchen, there was something about her, something about her whole aura which made him hold on for a few seconds. She seemed to be in deep thoughts, her hands perfectly accomplishing the task of preparing two plates with rice and vegetables while her eyes were wandering around absentmindedly. Kain watched the expression on her face going from concentrated to worried, quickly shifting to sad. The change was only subtle but Kain saw it clearly on her face, being able to read other people quite well which made him able to notice even small details others wouldn't pick up on at all. Now that he had seen it, he started wondering what it could possibly mean. Did she have family or friends she was missing? Who knew how long Kaname had made her stay here, the shelter didn't look as if she had moved in just recently. Kain felt compassion for her since he knew how the pureblood could be sometimes. Kaname always claimed to have good intentions and doing things the way he did because they served a higher purpose but the plain truth was that he ignored the feelings of the ones closest to him, sacrificing them on the altar of vampire human relationships instead. Watching her, it occurred to him that she looked as if she had been lonely all her life, yet she didn't bear an aura of despair, it was rather… regret? Whatever it was, Kain could relate to it quite well. Akane must have sensed him watching her because her eyes wandered to the dining table and stopped at his face, grazing over it, searching for an entrance to his thoughts. Her head tilted slightly to the side, questioningly, which made her look simply adorable and Kain couldn't avert his eyes, openly staring back now. Holding two plates with food in her hands, she smiled her incredibly sweet smile at him, waking up the butterflies in his stomach he hadn't known that they were there. Amazed by the tingling sensation and unable to move, he watched her approaching the table, their eyes still locked. The next second, she was right next to him, so tormentingly close, he had to hold his breath. Putting down his plate in front of him, a slight breeze of her scent surrounded him, making his head spin. Kain didn't dare to look up, just mumbling a "Thank you" instead.

Her voice sang in his ears. "You are very welcome. I hope you will enjoy your meal." Then she was gone, moving to her side of the table. The air around him was still humming by her presence, leaving him with a feeling of loss he couldn't quite understand.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The food was simple but delicious. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes. Kain didn't know how hungry he had been until the first bite was in his mouth. The meal soothed his fuzzy mind, his thoughts going over the mission that was laying ahead of them. Obviously, since time was an issue, they had to move quickly. They were two vampires against a building full of vampire hunters, not knowing what exactly was waiting for them behind the brick walls. He had to admit that it worried him a little, having no idea about how skilled Akane was in combat, besides the fact that they were outnumbered. Well, it couldn't be helped, they had to find a way. He cleared his throat, the sudden noise made her looking up from her plate.

"So what's the plan then?" Kain asked. " I assume since we don't have much time, we have to move as soon as possible, don't we?"

"Yes, it is crucial that we take action as soon as possible," Akane confirmed. "I suggest that we are going to go to the site tomorrow night so you can see for yourself. After that, we will need to determine our next move. Preferably, this will mean to enter the building complex and extract the woman." Well, couldn't be that hard, could it? Putting the sarcastic thought aside, he asked: "Have you been there before? What can you tell me about the building?" He didn't like to go there unprepared so he needed to find out everything.

"No, I have not approached the boarders of the town yet but rest assured that I got skilled spies," she said with a smirk and her eyes trailed to the door. "You already met them earlier." Kain followed her gaze and realization hit him. "The two wolves?" His voice sounded a bit incredulous.

"My noble ability allows me to bond with animals in a very special way. By forming a mental connection I can see thru their eyes, it also works over a certain distance." Akane explained, looking right into his eyes. Kain instantly wondered if she was able to do this with humans or other vampires, too. She must have read his mind because the next moment she said: "I have never tried to do this with other persons, human or vampire, so you can relax, Kain."

"Would you be able to do it, though?" He was openly curious now, not understanding why she hadn't had tried at least - or she was pulling the wool over his face in which case he needed to act more carefully around her than he had been so far. But her ability could turn the tide if the situation got out of hand.

Still looking at him, she mulled his question over. "Well…," she hesitated, her eyes flickering briefly. "I do not know." She was saying the truth, Kain could see it written all over her face. Interestingly, she didn't seem to be aware of the fact that her noble ability was quite powerful and, if he was reading the situation correctly, she had only established a mature connection to the two wolves outside. Under other circumstances, he would have pursued this topic but as it was they were running out of time so instead, he concentrated on the matter lying before them, making a note to himself to catch up on this with her later though.

"So why don't you just tell me what you have found out so far?" Relief was displayed on her face at his words, confirming Kain's surmise that she had being uncomfortable with him bringing up the question.

"As you already know, the complex is in the middle of town, surrounded by other blocks, except for the east side which faces a park. The park offers a lot of hiding possibilities, providing trees and bushes. There is, however, a 50 yards wide stripe of plain lawn between the wall and the trees which we will have to cross first in order to enter the building. The side which borders to the park has a brick wall, behind this wall is a small space for the sentinels guarding the gate as well as the back of the complex. There are two from all what I could see so far, being replaced every three hours. It takes about two minutes to change the guards. Also, this gate is being used for deliveries since the other entrance at the west side of the building opens into a narrow street. Deliveries have been so far erratic, happening most of the time in the early morning but there is really no pattern to it." She crossed her arms in front of her chest as a sign that her report had ended. Kain nodded in response.

"So it's decided then, we're going on a hike tomorrow night." He stood up and brought his empty plate back to the kitchen, being watched by Akane. It wasn't that she was openly staring but he felt her gaze on his back. Kain came back to get her plate, meeting her eyes. So black. So deep. Framed by beautifully thick lashes. Geez, he had to stop this!

"Let me get this for you," he murmured, taking her plate.

The kitchen wasn't equipped with a dishwasher so Kain turned on the hot tap water, plugged the sink and let the water run until it was half full. He didn't mind at all doing this kind of work at all, it was kind of relaxing. His mind wandered back to the events of the day that lied past him. Leaving the mansion had been a good decision after all, the situation being unbearable at times with an always moody Kaname and the fact that Ruka wasn't able to let go of her crush for their gang leader. Sometimes, he had wanted to grab and shake her, asking her why she kept torturing herself. Even though he acknowledged the possibility that she would never consider him as a mate, he didn't want to see her suffering from a broken heart. She meant everything to him, for her he would do anything if it meant for her to be happy. But as truly as he was missing Ruka at the very moment, he also needed a break. He could see that now. It had been eating on him for so long that he feared nothing would be left of him to protect her. The image of her, smiling at him over her shoulder, honey brown cascades of hair falling down her back, made his heart ache.

"Can you use some help?" Softly, Akane's voice floated towards him and Kain turned around, only to find her standing next to him. In a moment of awe, he got lost in her black eyes. How did she do this? The small voice in the back of his head fell silent the next second, Akane's eyes becoming black pools of gravity. Like a sailor, he couldn't withstand the dead water, soon his head was under water and he struggled to get air. Desperately, he tried to get back to the surface but everything around him was pitch black, not being able to tell no longer where up and where down was. With his body going limp, he surrendered himself completely to the darkness. One last breath escaped his lips. Ruka…

"Kain!"

The darkness was ripped open by a bell like voice, frantic. He blinked as the light hit his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Again, the voice. Akane? He blinked again, this time being able to keep his eyes open. Why was he lying on the floor? Oh… he remembered drowning in black waters, struggling for air. Well, he must have imagined this because he clearly was alive. Wait a second - Akane! Quickly checking his body by moving his hands and feet, he sat up, putting a hand over his face, slightly moaning from the head spin. As he lowered his hand, his gaze fell on Akane's shape, hunkering at the wall a few yards from him, shivering all over. What -

"Are you alright?" Her voice was even more frantic now, with high pitches. He thought about it shortly before he answered.

"Yes, I think I'm ok." He got to his knees, his heart pounding in his ears. "Are you alright?" She didn't look as if she was though. Eyes wide open, she looked scared to the bones, her hair falling in wild strands around her crouched shape. Trembling with shock, she wasn't able to answer, her mouth opened but all he heard was only a whimper. He slowly moved closer to her.

"It's ok. See? I'm fine," he soothed and reached out for her. The moment she saw his hand she flinched.

"No!" Panic was all over her voice. "Don't touch me!" she panted and plain fear was displayed on her face. Petrified, she pressed her back against the wall, sobbing heavily now. Kain put his arm down but didn't back up. The state she was currently in could let her instincts completely take over any second and she would be beyond reach for him then. Since he had no clue what she was capable of he preferred to see her calming down. Damn Kaname, why hadn't he said anything? He must have known about this, she was a danger for others and for herself. He needed to think faster! He believed her words that she didn't know what her true powers were. Could it be that they had been manifesting themselves just recently? As he was watching her how scared she looked, he was inclined to follow his conclusion. What made it even more inevitable to quiet her quickly. Usually, vampires developed their skills early in adolescence and once they had shown, a continuous training ensured that the bearer became adept in them. Vampires with untrained abilities on the loose would be the death of the society they all knew. Let's face it, vampires are ferocious animals driven by instinct, only the strict rules of their society made it possible for them to coexist with each other peacefully, at least most of the time. Jesus, she was a ticking time bomb and he had to get her under control.

"Akane, please listen to me." He inched closer to her. She was still shaking, he could smell her fear. "I promise, everything will be fine but you have to listen to me." He spoke as calmly as he could muster, trying not to scare her more than she already was. "Everything will be fine. Just try to breathe normally and it will go away." He watched her breath becoming more even and her body gradually releasing the tension. Though it seemed to work, he never stopped speaking to her, while moving closer inch by inch. "Yes, that's right. Just relax."

When he was about a foot away from here, he said softly: "Akane, look at me." She shook her head, hiding her face behind a curtain of dark reddish hair. "It will be ok," he tried to sound utterly confident, though his pounding heart gave him away. He took a deep breath, steadying his heartbeat. "Look at me, please," he tried one more time, this time more firmly. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears.

"I am so sorry," she whispered. Kain let out a breath, he hadn't known he had been holding. She seemed have calmed down, choked up still but she had responded to him which was a good sign.

"I know." He wasn't going to blame her right now. Maybe he shouldn't do it at all since it really wasn't her fault. Well, he would decide on that later but for now, it had priority to restore her confidence and prepare her for what was going to come. Though he had no idea what to do next, he asked tentatively: "Can you stand up?"

After a short time of consideration, she said: "Yes, I think so." Her voice was still a bit shaky but the panic in it was gone. He smiled at her reassuringly, standing up, too.

A couple of seconds later, she stood next to him. Again, Kain noticed that she was almost as tall as he was. Her tuft of dark brown reddish hair ended right under the tip of his nose. She went past him over to the kitchen sink and turned on the cold water to splash it into her face. She covered her face for a long moment, before she ran her wet hands over her hair.

"That is much better," she sighed, turning off the water. Kain watched her closely. She would turn to him any second and he mentally braced himself. Three, two, one - here she goes. She looked unbelievably cute with a wet face and slightly damp hair. When did she unbraid her hair? Geez, he really needed to get a hold on himself. He cleared his throat.

"You are ok?" She definitely looked better.

"Yes, thank you." Embarrassed, she lowered her head, her eyes scanning the kitchen floor. "I did not know what I was doing." She paused, obviously looking for an explanation. "I never thought that I would have the capability of doing… THIS." Kneading her hands, she still looked down. Seeing her like this, how she came apart before his eyes, Kain felt a wave of sympathy rushing over him and he felt the strong desire to take her into his arms. He couldn't possibly do this, could he?

"We should talk about this," he said instead, being ever so rational and calm. She visibly flinched at his words, her hands started trembling slightly.

"Yes, we should." Her voice was small and he mentally slapped himself for being so cold-hearted. But there was no way around it. If they were going to hike to the association's quarters tomorrow night, he would need to know what's going on here. He couldn't afford to put her in danger if she was unstable. Yet, he hesitated - why couldn't he just go to her first, hold her close and stroke her hair. She looked so lonely… An impatient scratching and yowling at the door pulled him out of his thoughts. Obviously, the wolves wanted to check on their master. The yowling got louder and Akane went to open the door. The next moment, both wolves circled Akane, anxiously whining. Mollifyingly, she whispered words of affection and got down on her knees. Both wolves became quiet almost immediately while she kept stroking their fur. To Kain, it seemed as if they were sharing a secret conversation and after a minute or so, both animals vanished where they had came from. Akane stood up and shut the door.

"They are able to sense my constitution as I am able to sense theirs so they came here to assure that everything is well," she explained apologetically.

"So the connection goes both ways?" Kain let it sound more than a confirmation than a question.

"Yes," she answered, her face taking on an uncertain expression. "At least… I can only speak for this bond… I do not know…" Her voice ebbed away. Oh for Pete's sake, just go to her! He could hear his cousin's voice clearly in his head. He blinked. Before he could form another thought, his legs started moving on their own and he found himself standing close to her the next second. Not being able to stop himself, he inhaled her feminine scent, well knowing that this only would make things worse but he didn't care. Smelling her confusion, her anxiety and her loneliness woke up the protective part in him, the urge to console her quickly became unbearable.

"Akatsuki," she whispered, the sound of his name coming from her lips made his heart skip a beat. He was even closer now, only a few inches between them. He raised a hand to put a strand of her hair behind her ear. She didn't shy away, only looking at him with eyes wide open. Her breath was a bit uneven and he could hear her heartbeat going faster. His hand rested on her shoulder with his fingertips ever so slightly caressing the side of her neck.

He tried his voice. "I'm sorry." It was a bit husky and he wasn't sure if he could bring out another coherent sentence so he concentrated instead on her lips. What exactly was he doing here again? The small voice of reason sounded distant. Kain knew that he should allow reason to prevail but his body betrayed him. He couldn't say if it was her feminine appeal or the helplessness radiating from her or simply the fact that he also needed some comfort, he was completely unable to pull away. One hand still on her neck, he touched her cheek with the other. Her skin had a silky texture and, God, it was incredibly smooth. She gasped, standing utterly still and letting him touch her. Amazed by her reaction, Kain caressed her lips with his thump, causing her to stop breathing altogether. He feared that she would draw back any second but to his astonishment, she leaned into his touch. He really wanted to kiss her but he held back. It would be bold, wouldn't it? He kept silently debating the pros and cons of kissing her when she suddenly moved and rested her head on his shoulder, her warm breath against his neck. Instinctively, Kain wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close. She felt amazing and it took him every ounce of his self-restraint not to trail his hands down to her hips or even lower, though his mind was totally occupied by this fantasy. Concentrating really hard on to keep his breath going, he simply held her, wishing this moment wouldn't end.


	5. Chapter 5

Well, after throwing out the first 4 chapters without any introduction (I apologize for being so rude). I do have a plot for this in mind and it might take a bit to put everything into the right place, so please stay with me! Regarding whether Kain will end up with Ruka, I haven't made up my mind yet, it depends on how much Akane will grow on me ;-) Reviews are much appreciated :-)

Chapter 5

He didn't know how long they had been standing there like this, holding each other. She was lithe in his arms, her body huddled up perfectly against his.

"Akatsuki?" She said his name in a way that sent shivers done his spine. He breathed against her hair, trying to ignore the knot in the pit of his stomach.

"Mmmh…," was all he managed to say.

Her hands trailed all the way up to his neck. Breathily, she asked: "What… what are we going to do?" Kain instantaneously thought about a couple of not so decent things but he dismissed them the next second, trying to get access to the part of his brain where language was formed instead. It didn't help though that her body was pressed against his in all the right places which made him all too well aware of her breasts, not to mention the enticing scent which radiated off her, clouding his thinking.

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded distant to him.

"I think it will be safer if I go alone tomorrow."

Actually, he didn't know that he had made up his mind about this until he spoke the words. But he was convinced that it was the right thing to do. Leaving together tomorrow night was a risk he wasn't going to take. Even more so, he didn't want to see her get hurt. In her current state, she was vulnerable since she hadn't gained any control over her power yet.

She stirred at his words, lifting her head, and pulled back a little to look at him directly. His hands were still placed on her shoulder blades, quite not prepared yet to let her go.

"No."

That answer made Kain let go of her. Not that he hadn't expected her to oppose, but he wished she wouldn't have. There was no way he would take her with him, no matter what she was about to say or do. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he noticed that her hands were still entwined behind his neck.

"Akane…," he started to say but she cut him of, laying one hand on his cheek. He fell silent at her touch.

"Just hear me out, will you?" Kain couldn't do much more than simply to nod.

"I agree with you…," she started to say.

"You do?" He blurted out in surprise. He had anticipated her to put up an argument so this struck him unexpectedly.

"Yes. And if you didn't interrupt me I could tell you," she scolded him mildly.

Kain was lost. With her being so close to him, his mind was preoccupied with marveling at how flawless her skin looked and how beautiful the color of her hair actually was. Her eyes weren't black like he had thought, they were rather a very dark brownish purple, something he had never seen before. Anyway, they were mesmerizing, he could already feel the familiar pull and a pleasurable warmth spread throughout his body. But this time, the pulling wasn't this strong, it was more like fordable waves, rising and falling playfully around him.

'She's holding back,' Kain thought to himself, fascinated. He could still feel the dark waters lurking behind her eyes but she managed to keep them locked away. Without any effort at all, he was able to pull back, being yanked back to the moment a bit too fast. He blinked, looking right into her face. She still stood in front of him, one hand at his neck, the other one still touching his cheek, smiling.

"This was amazing," he whispered, still stunned. How was she able to control this so quickly? She had to be really strong-minded considering the fact that she hadn't been able to keep herself in check ten minutes or so ago.

She blushed adorably then, almost causing him to loose it and kiss her.

"I guess I still have to learn a lot but I at least know now that I am capable of channeling it." She said it with a shy smile on her lips.

Kain tried gathering himself. Though she proved to have impressive skills, he wouldn't let her accompany him. He was going to go there alone, scout the settings and come back so they would be able to plan their next move. And, even more so, he was confused. Hadn't she just said that he was right? But before he could think another thing or say something in response, she moved on.

"I will let you go alone on one condition. You will have to let one of the wolves come along with you."

Relieved that this issue was out of the way, Kain answered: "That I can do." He didn't mind at all, on the contrary. It would be good to have an additional pair of eyes and ears.

He suddenly felt tired. This had been one hell of a day so far and all he wanted to do was to simply lay down and sleep. Kain wished Hanabusa would be around and he could share the happenings of that day with his cousin. Though Hanabusa could be a pain sometimes, he truly missed him at that very moment. Then, out of nowhere, Ruka crossed his mind, the most beautiful thing in his universe. Kain thought of how he would watch her from the distance, wishing she would invite him to her room. God, it still hurt so much to know that his one wish would never come true, pain tugging at his heart. Even after all those years, the wound still hadn't closed, instead it was ripped open again every time he thought of her. Right then, it scared him. He didn't want to live like that but he didn't have a choice, did he? There was no place he could go where she wouldn't follow him because she was always in his thoughts. So he had to acknowledge the pain and the fact that it would never go away.

"You look tired," Akane's voice pulled him back into the moment.

He gave a sigh: "Yes. I am tired."

"You can have the couch."

He looked around. "Where are you going to sleep?" He didn't see any other place that could possibly serve as a bed.

"There is another hide-out a mile up north, I usually spend the days up there with the wolves," she explained.

"Ah…," he answered, falling silent. Oddly enough, he actually didn't want to be alone. Maybe it was because she was lonely, too. He couldn't exactly say what it was but he wanted her to stay with him. Well, that wasn't gonna happen, was it? 'Wake up, man,' he silently berated himself. Akane was completely out of his league and, besides, what would he do if she would stay anyway? He'd never been with a woman before. Not that there hadn't been any opportunities but he never felt interested enough. Compared to Ruka, they all lacked. He just couldn't be with someone else since he would only think of her. In the past, he had tried it a couple of times but he never succeeded. Hanabusa had called him stupid since he wanted Kain to simply have fun but that was the last thing Kain had had on mind. Unlike his cousin, he couldn't just have sex with someone he actually didn't care for.

However, this felt different. Though sex wasn't exactly the first thing he had in mind - well, maybe it was on his mind but he pushed it aside - Kain wanted to be close to her. Gazing over her hair which came in strands around her face, then moving on to her delicate neck and her small frame. The tight fitting shirt revealed a perfectly toned body with copped breasts and a flat stomach. He caught himself thinking about touching all the parts he just had looked over and he quickly blinked to make the image go away.

All the time, Akane still had her hands draped around his neck, patiently waiting for him to say something.

Kain looked away, not able to meet her eyes when he mumbled: "I guess I'll just go to bed then. See you tomorrow." He took a step back, the skin where her hands had been just a second ago felt suddenly cold.

"Good night to you, Akatsuki Kain," Akane said. She was gone the next moment, closing the door quietly behind her.

Kain wanted to kick himself. So stupid! There was a small voice in the back of his head, telling him to go after her and bring her back but he stomped on it. 'What's the use anyway?' he thought. He wasn't here to hook up with her, he kept reminding himself. Tomorrow he would go to check out the hunter's quarter and then they would find a way to extract this grey haired woman. By then, his mission here would be over and he could go back to the Kuran mansion, leaving all this behind.

But as much as he tried to talk himself into believing what he had outlined, he couldn't help it. He wanted Akane to come back and stay with him. Before he was able to stop himself, he was out of the door, following her into the woods.

Reviews please :-)


	6. Chapter 6

Ok, one review so far, thank you :-) I needed to figure out a few thing time line wise for this story and hope I got everything right to pull of the plot. Everyone who doesn't want to see Kain making out with another woman, shouldn't read this. Everyone else, enjoy!

Chapter 6

It was still grayish dark outside but Kain could already see a lighter streak on the horizon.

Jumping down the few stairs which lead down from the porch, he turned north then. Since she had said it would be about a mile, she couldn't be far away. While running, he tried not to think about what he was actually doing. He never had been much of a guy who made decisions hastily so this was kind of a first. His cousin had been shaking his head over Kain's sobriety for the last years but it never crossed Kain's mind that his cousin might have been right - well, not all the way (of course) but, still, maybe a bit. Though he didn't know where this all would lead, he was sure about one thing: If he didn't do this, he would regret it and keep asking himself what would have been. He just needed to find out and then this silliness would end.

After running thru the woods for a couple of minutes, he stopped in his tracks and listened. Akane had said north but north was actually a relative term, now that he was standing in the middle of nowhere. His ears didn't pick up anything else than the whispering of the wind roaming thru the woods and the birds which started their morning choir since dawn was near.

Running after her without actually knowing where it was she had been gone turned out not to be an exactly smart move on his part. He ran a hand thru his hair, sighing.

Just when he was about to turn and to go back, he heard a rustling coming from near bushes. One of the wolves stepped out and looked at him, laying his head to one side. The animal gave a low bark as if to indicate that he should follow before vanishing into the coppice.

"Nice timing," Kain muttered to himself and went after the wolf. The animal probably had been watching him all the way and only revealed itself because he had gotten lost. So Akane most likely knew that he was coming already. He only hoped that he wouldn't look like an idiot for running after her like a puppy. Facing the fact that he was about to see her in just a few moments, his heart started beating faster all of a sudden, a prickle spreading from his stomach throughout his body.

They reached a small clearance with an odd looking rock formation on the side which was to his left. Stopping dead at the sight of her, Akane stood in front of what looked like an entrance to a cave, watching him closely with a mask-like expression on her face. His heart slumped and he swallowed the lump in his throat. The wolf greeted her eagerly, wagging his tail. She padded its head gently and they both went inside.

This actually wasn't the welcome Kain had anticipated but then, what had he thought would await him precisely? He had let her go in the first place, to put it euphemistically. On the other side, he hadn't acted in a way to let her think that there might be more, had he? Only, how exactly would he know? His experience with women was quite limited, consisting of the repeated rejection by Ruka. To tell the truth, he had never engaged in flirting or something similar before actively. But the most confusing thing was that he felt angry and excited at the same time. Oh, how he missed his cousin right now. Hanabusa would surely know what to do, Kain already imagined him laughing at the whole situation. When it came to women, Hanabusa was simply an expert. Even though Kain had rolled his eyes so many times about his cousin's extroverted personality, he now wished to have paid more attention. But, given the fact that neither his cousin was at his side nor that Kain had ever picked something up from his flirtations, there was absolutely no sense in dwelling about things he couldn't change right now. So he figured that he had to choose between two options: Either going back to the cabin or going after her. And since he had already come up all the way here, he decided that he should simply follow her into the cave and face whatever it was. Honestly, he had looked into the barrel of the Bloody Rose a couple of times by now and survived so this couldn't impossibly be worse, could it?

Kain's heart was in his mouth when he reached the entrance and he stilled for a moment. 'Jesus Christ, get a hold of yourself!' he berated himself one last time before he anxiously took the next step.

She sat next to a small fire, poking around with a stick in the blaze and staring into the flames. The light of the fire dipped her face into a warm glow, the beauty of her image almost floored him. He couldn't remember if he had made a sound but she turned her head and looked at him, the reflection of orange flames in her eyes.

To avoid to continue staring at her, Kain forced his eyes to wander. The cave was approximately six yards deep and offered enough height for him to stand comfortably. Next to the fire, there were a pile of blankets which indicated her sleeping place. But since that was about pretty much it, his eyes fell back on her face, her look out of this world. Admitting to himself that he had never seen such heavenly features before, he was absolutely clueless about what to do next. Why was he drawn to her that strongly? He didn't have an answer for that and it kind of upset him. Though he hated it to bring up the comparison with Ruka again for some strange reason, it was the only reference he had. Since he was a kid, he had harbored deep feelings for her. Over time, as he grew older, these feelings had become a part of him, she was always on his mind. In a way, one could say that he was branded permanently. But over the course of the last day, these keystones of his emotional existence had been unsettled and he was drifting. And it seemed that the more he fought against it, the more he got detached from his inner self.

"We do not get visitors up here much often but, please, sit down," she said into the silence, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Kain followed her invitation and sat down a couple of feet away from her. The fire was warm and the crackling of the wood soothed his mind. Without giving it much thought, he reached out for the flames, immersing his hand in them. The fire was warm and caressed his fingers. Carefully, he withdrew his hand, holding a small flame in his hand. He nursed it with his own inner fire for a couple of seconds and then let it die down. His hand felt cool.

Akane moved a bit closer to him.

"When I was little, my father told me that, some day, I would have a special ability, too," she said. "So I had been waiting all those years but nothing happened - until today. I only wish that he could see me now."

"What happened to him?"

"He died."

He was about to ask how he had died but was able to stop himself before the words could leave his mouth.

"How old were you?"

"I was nine."

He couldn't really imagine how it felt to loose one of his parents. They had always been around and he had never lost a thought that it would be any other than that.

"What about your mom?"

"I guess she is doing well," she answered curtly, her tone indicated unmistakably that she didn't want to go down that road.

Kain began to understand why she had looked that lonely back in the kitchen. She really seemed to be on her own. He wondered if she had any brothers or sisters.

"How was your dad like?" he asked softly. Akane swallowed visibly at his question and she looked away.

Hastily, he added: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to prey-"

"No, please, do not be sorry. I am fine," she said, still holding her head in a way that he couldn't see her face.

A salty smell was in the air. When she turned back to him, her eyes still glistened with tears. The sight and smell of her tears touched a soft spot in him. As a male, he was very susceptible to female tears, always making him want to protect the woman and take away any harm from her. But there was nothing he could do about a loss of a loved one, except… Would she let him hold her again? He really wanted to comfort her but he hesitated to take the first step. With Ruka, he was foolish enough to make this mistake a couple of times but she always had sent him off. He had come to learn to keep his distance since it was the only way for him to be close to her. God, now that sounded ridiculous, even in his ears. And besides, maybe it was about time to stop the two with each other. What held true for Ruka, didn't necessarily have to for Akane. She had allowed him to hold her and, now that he came to think about it, she hadn't pulled away at all.

All he had to do was to scooch over and pull her close. So he simply did it.

At first, she stiffened by surprise and it almost caused him to retreat but then, he could feel her giving in to his embrace. This time, he pulled her even closer, letting his hands trail over her back in a soothing gesture and burying his face in her hair. She smelled incredible and he inhaled deeply to take in every nuance of her. A wave of desire washed over him and a muffled sound escaped his throat. He knew that he was loosing it but he couldn't bring himself to letting her go. But with every breath, he took in more of her scent, an exquisite mix of salt and woods with an underlying sweetness he never smelled before. His heart was about to jump out of his chest and it took him every ounce of his self control not to grip her tighter.

All this time, Akane was absolutely still in his arms. She didn't clench though, her arms were wrapped around him, her head rested on his shoulder and he could almost feel her warm lips touching his neck. The sole thought of her lips caressing the curve of his neck sent a jolt thru his body and the impulse let him shiver slightly.

Then she started trailing her hands down his back and sighed. It was the most unsettling sound Kain had ever heard. He tensed up from the growing anticipation and almost jumped when her lips met his skin.

"Good Lord," he whispered, his breathing heavy now. Was he really going to do this? It wouldn't need much more to cut the last thread. Her warm body pressed against his chest was already more than he could bear without loosing his sanity. The growing tightness in his pants was proof enough and he prayed that she wouldn't notice.

Oblivious to his inner debate, she started licking the sensitive skin, starting at the spot directly beneath his ear lobe and then all the way down to the curve of his neck. Kain couldn't suppress a groan and with that, he grabbed her hips and pulled her completely into his lap. She let out a gasp and that was all it took to shatter his restraint considerably.

He took her head with both hands and gently pulled her up so he was able to look into her face. Her lips slightly parted and still wet from her kissing, he couldn't do anything but drink in her magnificent beauty. Her eyes hold the most alluring promise, endlessly deep pools of purplish black. He let his thumb slid over her mouth, teasing her lips. She looked positively disheveled which only made his heart swell with adoration.

He kissed her then.

The moment their lips met would be imprinted forever in his memory because it was beyond perfect. He brushed his lips against hers, amazed by how soft they were. Her breathing became more quickly but she let him have his way, keeping herself still while he tasted her. Kain closed his eyes, allowing himself to put the slightest bit more pressure on her lips and a small sexy sound, half moan, half gasp emanated from her throat. God, did she have to do that? He wanted to go slow but if she kept doing that he wasn't sure how long he would be able to restrain himself.

Tentatively, he slid his tongue into her mouth, slowly exploring her crevices. Her hands gripped his upper arms firmly as she opened up for him and kissed him back. Kain couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening, he was overwhelmed by the surge of feelings that flowed thru him. Her sweet taste was heavily tainted by desire and he started kissing her more fervently, coaxing more moans out of her. He already loved these little sounds.

"Akatsuki…," she whispered his name into his mouth. Her voice was hoarse.

He paused for a moment to look into her face. Her plump lips had a very sexy pinkish color and her cheeks looked rosy. He would never grow tired of admiring her beauty.

"I need to tell you something…" She looked at him, pleadingly.

His heart sank. Usually, this didn't mean anything good, did it? She would try to let him down gently and he wasn't sure how he would take it. He braced himself and tried his best to not let show his disappointment. Could it become any more embarrassing? His fully erect member was throbbing against his fly and he pushed the thought of it far away.

Not quite sure if he was able to speak since he feared that his voice would give his feelings away, he only nodded.

"I need to tell you about my father."

Ok, I'm glad that it's finally out. I made a cut here since it would have probably taken me another week or so to get it out. Reviews are much appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

**And here we go again ;-) Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Uh, well, her father. Kain blinked. But that would basically mean that she enjoyed him kissing her, wouldn't it? He could smell her arousal, her chest heaving visibly from the breathing and her heartbeat matched the pace of his own. His thoughts were racing and he tried to sort them out. So she wanted to talk about her late father. This came kind of unexpected but if it was what she wanted, he wouldn't deny it to her. Trying to even his breath, he smiled reassuringly at her.

"Ok." It was all, he could say, his throat still constricted by his heart in commotion.

She gave him a chaste kiss, a small smile on her lips. He squeezed her gently in return.

"When you came here, what did you know about me?" she asked out of the blue.

"I didn't know almost anything. I was told where to go and that there was a contact person waiting for me with instructions," he answered honestly. Kaname didn't like to spread information over more people than absolutely necessary so he hadn't wondered about their gang leader's proceeding. Moreover, everyone was exposed to information only when the timing demanded it so it was made sure that nobody carried around information not needed at a certain point in time. Which only proved how much Kaname actually trusted the humans, Kain thought. Diplomacy was an unforgiving business, one false step and one would be hung out to dry.

"So when you first saw me, did I look familiar to you?" she pressed.

He must have made a confused face then because she put one hand up on his cheek.

"Please think about it before you answer." She was serious.

He knew it would sound cheesy but he said it anyway: "I thought you looked incredibly beautiful as you were standing there with the wolves."

She rolled her eyes and jabbed him in the ribs.

"Ouch! That hurt!" He laughed.

"I am trying to be serious, Akatsuki!" Despite her scolding tone, she smiled a bit.

'Well, I had her on that one,' he thought, pleased.

He raised his hands and surrendered symbolically.

"Ok, I got it. I'll answer your question then."

But come to think about it, Kain didn't have a clue. What did she mean by looking familiar? Was he supposed to know her? Vampires generally didn't forget easily so he was absolutely sure that he had seen her for the first time a couple of hours ago. So why would he know who she was then?

Carefully, he reviewed her features. She was tall and slender, her eyes had a unique color framed by thick lashes, her dark brown reddish hair was long and thick. Maybe there was something in her appearance that reminded him of something but it slipped away before he could grasp it. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"You will have to tell me because I'm clearly at a loss here," he finally said.

Akane slid from his lap and stood up. She went around the fireplace and after a few more seconds she came to stand in front of him. Looking down at him, he could see that her eyes were still shimmering. 'It really must upset her,' he thought. His heart went out to her in that very moment and he reached for her hands.

"Don't be afraid, you can tell me," he assured her. He started worrying about it since she obviously had trouble getting it out. But what the hell could possibly be that bad about her father? Had he been a murderer? He jokingly asked himself but stopped dead in his thoughts the next second, a cold shiver running down his spine. He looked at her, appalled. He really looked at her for the first time, seeing the greater picture behind all of this, and the puzzle pieces fell together, one after the other. It couldn't be! But now that he knew what he needed to look at he clearly saw the signs. Her features, her noble skill, her compelling beauty.

Her eyes widened with shock. She wanted to withdraw her hands he was still holding but Kain didn't let her go. There was no chance that he would let her run away from him. Why hadn't he seen it the first time he saw her? It was so obvious to him now that she was displaying all the features of the Kuran family. The truth was, she could have been Kaname's sister if it weren't for the fact that the pureblood didn't have one. And that left only one possibility: Rido Kuran.

"No, don't go," he said gently. It wasn't her fault and deep in his heart he still hoped that it wouldn't be true but the way she was reacting told him that there actually was no doubt. He tried to disguise his own shock with a pleading look to calm her down a bit because he could feel her struggling to get away from him.

"So… so you… know then?" Her voice was almost too low for him to hear. He nodded. She closed her eyes and sank to her knees.

Desperately, he scrambled to find some words, not knowing what to start with.

"You are a Kuran." It came across half as a statement and a question. He knew that it maybe wasn't the most sensitive thing to say right now but he needed to hear it from her.

Kain barely heard the next words since they were the lowest whisper.

"Yes… Rido Kuran… was my father."

Kain still couldn't wrap his mind completely around it. Akane was Rido Kuran's daughter. Though it was common knowledge in the vampire society that Rido had been promiscuous and had had many women besides his fiancee, it was still a different pair of shoes to see his daughter standing right in front of him. And, above all, being Rido's daughter made her Kaname's cousin. He swallowed hard.

"Holy shit," he muttered. Kaname was very protective of his own kin, he had gone great lengths to protect Yuuki and if anything would happen to Akane, Kaname would hold him personally responsible for it. Kain didn't have any doubt that Kaname knew who Akane was. Also, he strongly believed that Kaname trusted Akane, there hadn't been any indication that he wouldn't. So why was he here again? First, they had to find out about the hunters association's plans but by now he wasn't sure anymore if this had been the only reason why the pureblood had sent him here. Oh, how he hated this! He had enough of Kaname's secretiveness and the fact that it made him look like an idiot each time he found out about something. But it was a waste of time to be mad at their gang leader, he had learned that by now. Kaname was Kaname and he wouldn't change. Though Kain's feelings towards him were ambiguous sometimes, he had to acknowledge that the pureblood's behavior had been blameless - well, except for the one slip with Ruka - and Kaname was a good leader after all. If only he could give up this annoying secretiveness! 'Oh well, here I go again,' Kain sighed and ran a hand thru his hair.

"Akatsuki?" Akane's anxious voice yanked him back into the present. She was still on her knees in front of him, eyes wide.

He took her hands in his and got up, pulling her with him. So many questions popped up in his mind and he wanted to ask her all of them but they needed to get back to the cabin first. He didn't know where this idea suddenly came from but maybe today was the day for following the spur of the moment.

Akane looked worried and a bit afraid. Seeing her like that made Kain's heart sting. He needed to tell her that she didn't need to worry and that it didn't matter to him who her father was but the words got stuck in his throat. He was afraid they would sound hollow, given his reaction to her revelation a couple of moments ago. Instead, he did the second best thing he could think of - pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers.

She let out a muffled cry but gave in instantly, holding onto him with her dear life. He tasted the salt of her tears on her lips and he followed their trace with his mouth, placing tender kisses all over her face. Her vulnerability called an ancient instinct in him, all he wanted was to protect her. It was an odd feeling - his heart was full of joy while he was worried sick, all at the same time. He noticed every movement of hers, her breasts pressing against his chest. Every single gasp brought him closer to the point where he would simply throw his self-restraint overboard. With all the strength he had left, he pulled out, panting.

"We have to go back to the cabin." His voice sounded strange to him. She nodded.

"Akatsuki… thank you," she breathed. He answered with a chaste kiss, hoping she would understand that he couldn't speak right now. His brain was a mess with his sex drive going into overload and he needed a minute for the fog to lift. Meanwhile, he held her close, her head resting on his shoulder. When he had calmed down enough to think coherently again, he cleared his throat.

Akane looked at him with purple black eyes, deeper than anything he could imagine.

"I think we should be getting back," he said. Another kiss like that and they wouldn't be getting anywhere.

He took her hand and they exited the cave together. The two wolves were already waiting for them. They looked at Akane with anticipation. Kain could only guess that she was giving them some sort of mental order because the next second, both animals vanished into the woods. The break of dawn was already in full progress and the bright yellow rays of the morning sun broke thru the stems of the trees.

**Ok, I figured to go with shorter chapters since my workload is going crazy right now and otherwise I wouldn't be able to update.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

On their way back, running thru the woods, Kain had enough time to think about what had happened. As earlier, the running freed his mind and he was able to look back at the events in a sorted manner. The whole last couple of hours had been a roller coaster ride, physical and emotional wise, for him. But he could only imagine what it must have been like for Akane who was running a couple of yards in front of him. She was a Kuran, forced to lead a hidden life from the rest of vampire society - what was it with this family that they treated some of their family members so horribly? He wondered if she had told anyone before and the answer was probably not, given her struggle to tell him. There certainly weren't many people who know about her, well, her mother and, of course, Kaname. And how much did Akane know about the things which had happened after her father's so called death when she had been a little girl? He hadn't died back then after all and though Zero had been able to shoot Rido at their last encounter, they didn't know for sure if he was dead for good or not. He was a pureblood and as such hard to kill. There were so many things Kain wanted to ask her but he got the feeling that he had to hold back to not scare her away.

His inward thoughts ebbed away and his eyes fell on the woman who was in front of him. She moved effortlessly and in a very elegant way, despite of the high pace. Her hair flaunted beautifully around her, covering her back all the way down to her hips. He had kissed and had held her and the sheer memory of those moments made his stomach doing funny things. If he wanted to keep a clear mind he would need to stop thinking about her that way. But it was rather impossible to forget her smell and the soft texture of her lips - everything about her called out to him, all he could do was simply standing by and watching his sanity going to shreds.

'Well, at least do it with dignity,' he thought to himself.

But there was more to it than simple physical attraction, he wanted to protect her. If the other vampires or even the hunters association found out about her she would become a plaything in their politics. Though she seemed to be a proud and strong vampire, Kain knew better. She wouldn't be prepared for this and she didn't have anybody who could shield her from all the curious eyes and the gossip. Maybe it had been to the best for her to grow up outside of the vampire society. If Kaname had anything to do with this, Kain could understand his intentions. Akane was too precious. Kaname wouldn't be able to protect her to the extent she needed because doing so would interfere with his goal to establish peace between humans and vampires. By hiding her all those years, he avoided this conflict but for whatever reason, the period of grace was over. Kain had the dull feeling that Kaname was going to use him as some sort of bodyguard. Jesus Christ, and he hadn't had to do anything better than making out with her shortly after they had met. He didn't want to think about what would happen if Kaname found out. One thing was certain, Kaname wasn't going to be happy about it.

Following a sudden impulse, he called out to her.

"Akane, wait!"

She stopped and turned around, looking at him questioningly. He quickly closed the gap.

"I need to ask you something before we get back."

She mulled his request over for a second, then nodded. With an anxious expression on her face, she waited for him to talk again.

"Where did you grow up?"

She seemed to have expected another question since Kain noticed how her shoulders relaxed visibly.

"Here." She made a gesture with her hands towards the trees in the direction of the cabin.

Kain didn't understand.

"Here? What does that mean?"

"After my father found out that my mother was pregnant, he let build this cabin. He hid my mother here until I was born. She stayed with me here for awhile but after a couple of months, she went back to her family. I got to stay with a nanny. My father visited from time to time." She shrugged. "This is my home."

Kain preferred not to know what happened to the people who had built the small house in the middle of the woods. And, for that matter, with the nanny. He suppressed a shudder. At this point, he wanted to tell her that her father hadn't died when she was a little girl, his body rather obliterated by Kaname and left in a weak state. But he knocked it on the head the next second since it was his secret to tell. Besides, he didn't want to get caught in the middle of affairs regarding the Kuran family.

"So you lived here all your life?" he asked instead.

Akane simply nodded.

All her life, she had been alone. The thought hurt Kain more than he expected him to. It must have been an incredibly lonely life. He couldn't even imagine what it had been like, deprived of almost every social contact, away from family and friends. And yet, she appeared to be a very lively person with a sweet-tempered character from what he could tell so far. Astonishingly, she didn't seem to hold any major grudges against the people who have done this to her. Kain had sensed something when he had asked her about her mother but it had been over as quickly as it had come so he couldn't tell for sure. If it wasn't for the underlying sadness surrounding her, he'd almost say she seemed to be happy here.

A soft touch on his left arm brought him out of his thoughts.

"You are thinking again," she said, a small smile on her lips. He ran a hand thru his hair and looked at her apologetically.

"Yes, it seems I do that a lot, huh?"

She was close to him again, making every cell in his body sing.

"May I ask what it is that you are thinking about?" Kaname's menacing voice came directly from behind and the shock almost drained the life out of him. Kain's throat constricted and he choked silently, putting one hand around his neck. With all the strength he could muster, he held himself up but his reserves ran out quickly and he slumped to his knees, still not being able to bring out a tone, not to mention of letting in a breath. 'That much to what would happen if Kaname found out,' Kain thought before the edges of his vision started to blur.

"Kaname!"

He heard Akane's scream as if it came from far away, leaving a strange echo in his ears. He really hoped that she would be able to bring the pureblood to his terms since he felt a scary cold creeping up his spine, slowly taking over his whole body. Panic came quickly now.

"Kaname, please!" Akane, again.

The cold retracted out of a sudden and the tightness around his neck vanished, leaving him wheezing and coughing on the ground. Jesus Christ, that was close. Never before, Kaname had demonstrated his powers in such an explicit way towards him. He had seen the pureblood punishing other vampires but now he actually got a sense what it must have been like for them. It was the ultimate humiliation and there was no other choice than to accept it.

"Get up!" The words literally brought him to his feet as if someone had grabbed him at this collar and pulled him up. Still recovering from the attack, Kain tried to straighten his shoulders as best as he could before he turned around to face his gang leader. One last cough -

"Kaname-sama." His voice was more like a rasp but he managed to sound sincere. Kain bowed his head, waiting patiently for Kaname to address him.

"Kain." Pure relief flooded thru him when he heard that there wasn't an immanent threat in the voice any longer. He looked back up only to see Akane standing at Kaname's right sight, staring at him, petrified. He could see that she wanted to come to him but he shook his head imperceptibly. This wasn't over yet and she already had interfered enough by begging for him. At an another time, he would have marveled at Akane's resemblance with the pureblood which was remarkable but he didn't bother with such concinnity at the moment.

The woods around them had fallen absolutely silent. There wasn't a single breeze and no bird dared to tweet, even the sun seemed to have stolen itself away. Kaname's eyes gleamed reddishly, his stare completely unreadable. Kain felt the pureblood's tight mental grip and it took him everything not to flinch though the urge to do so was overwhelming. Heat started building up in his palms, it wasn't something he was able to control, instincts taking over. In case the pureblood would launch an attack on him, he needed to defend himself, if this made any difference to the outcome which certainly wouldn't be in favor of him.

Akane was going to pieces next to her cousin, Kain could see that. The tension took its toll on her and he feared that she would break down any second. 'Goddamned, Kaname! Whatever you need to say, spit it out and do it quickly!' he cursed to himself.

Just in that moment when the pressure of silence became unbearable, Kaname began to speak. His voice was cold and flat as a cutting board but there was no hostility. It seemed to Kain that the pureblood had calmed down considerably. To the hell with his bad temper, sometimes Kaname had serious self-control issues, no doubt about it. No wonder that Yuuki still carried concerns about their relationship, even Kain could see that she was holding back since Kaname would be so moody and secretive at some times what made it difficult for her to trust him. Poor thing.

"It seems to me that you both have already acquainted yourselves well with each other." The pureblood took one step in Kain's direction. Every cell in Kain's body screamed and the natural reaction would have been to flee but he stood his ground, trying to look calm no matter what it cost.

"I expect a full report in three days. Do not disappoint me." There wasn't any need to spell out what would happen if.

"Yes, Kaname-sama." Kain bowed again, hoping to be dismissed hereby.

"I wish to speak to my dear cousin - alone."

Kain glanced over to Akane briefly, long enough to see that she was worried sick but her face also wearing a sort of relieved expression. She would be fine. All he needed to do was to retreat to the cabin in a calm manner and wait for her.

Slowly, he passed Kaname and then Akane who didn't dare to look at him directly. 'Easy, Kain,' he tried to soothe himself. 'Just one step after the other.' When he was sure that he was out of reach, he let out a sigh and ran a hand thru his hair, noticing that it trembled slightly. He stopped, gathering himself. He had been incredibly stupid. The moment he had met her, he should have seen the sign above her head which said in capital letters 'HANDS OFF'. But he hadn't been quite himself lately so there hadn't been a way for him to recognize it. He had made a mistake, it was simple as that.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He berated himself. But it was too late for self-pity, he was the one had brought this upon himself and, consequently, he would be the one to provide remedy. He only hoped that Kaname wouldn't punish Akane too severely. Not that there wouldn't be any punishment at all, that just wasn't the way Kaname handled situations like that. But there was nothing Kain could do right now for her so he resumed his way back to the cabin.

When he surrounded the corner to enter the house, he wasn't exactly surprised to see the two wolves sitting there, whining at him. A wave of guilt washed over him.

"Don't worry. She'll be here any second."

He passed them and went inside. It smelled like food and Akane, an interesting mix. It was a very homey smell after all and it somehow soothed his mind. Now that he knew she had been living here, he looked at the interior differently. At a glance, he didn't see any family pictures but that didn't surprise him. The furniture were old but well maintained and everything looked neat. A couple of books on the shelf, a bit of nic nac here and there, a pile of wood next to the fireplace. Again, he wondered how she had been able to live here that long all by herself. Except for the wolves who kept her company, it must have been quite a monotonous life. He, on the contrary, hadn't been alone his whole life. In academy, he had shared a room with Hanabusa and even in the Kuran mansion, they both had a bedroom together. Even though Hanabusa could be annoying to the last degree sometimes, he had never had the desire to sleep alone. As he looked around, a small picture frame on the shelf caught his attention. He went to it, curious what it would show.

He drew in a sharp breath when he recognized the persons in the old picture. It was Rido holding a toddler in his arms. The girl must have been about three or so, he couldn't tell for sure but what he certainly knew the girl in the picture: Akane. Even back then, she looked adorable with her pink dress and the big pink bow holding together her hair in a tail on top of her head. They both looked happy, an expression he didn't know Rido's face (or any male Kuran face for that matter) could hold. The way Rido held his daughter clearly showed that the girl was special to him, a happy picture from untroubled times as it would seem. Maybe there had been such times, even if it was hard to believe from Kain's perspective.

"I know that many people despise my father for what he has done but I was happy when he was around."

Kain turned around, startled, he hadn't heard her coming in. She looked calm, only her hair hung in wild strands over her shoulders. He stiffened when he saw a small drop of blood at her right corner of her mouth, his nostrils flared slightly, taking in the scent. It wasn't Kaname's blood, he would recognize the smell everywhere. It was her blood. Kain froze, not able to stop staring at the small wound which had almost healed already. Akane looked at him, questioningly, following his gaze with her hand. She gently touched the spot with her fingertips, trying not to wince.

Kaname had slapped her. Kain fought hard against the rage building up inside him. This was despicable, although he actually had accepted the fact that Kaname had had to punish her. But slapping her with such vehemence? Obviously, Kaname had wanted him to know unmistakably that she was not for him to touch again. The rage subsided slowly and made place for another feeling. Defeat. 'Message received,' Kain thought numbly. He wouldn't be going to touch her again if it meant to spare her any further pain.

He faintly heard her speaking.

"Are you alright, Akatsuki?" She sounded worried.

"Yes, I am." He didn't know that he still had a voice and he wondered if he really had just said it. 'Don't… come… near… me,' he kept repeating the words in his head. She must have sensed his struggling since she didn't move an inch.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, raising his hands helplessly.

"It is nothing," she assured him with a steady voice. "I will be fine." She even managed to smile at him, the gesture tightening his chest.

She quickly crossed the room and went into the bathroom. When the door shut tight, Kain let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. With all the tension exiting his body, he became aware of the fact that he was dead tired. 'Just a for minute,' he thought, slumping himself on the couch. He would get up as soon as Akane came out of the bathroom so she could sleep on the couch while he would make his bed near the fireplace on the floor.

Darkness came quickly and took him in.


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter took me awhile since both, Kain and Akane, wouldn't cooperate nicely. But I do hope, it still turned out ok. Akane is one headstrong woman and Kaname is going to have lots of fun with her *lol* - I'm currently re-watching the anime and though I believe that he sometimes is a devious a** (granted, a good-looking one), I still think his intentions are good (especially when it comes to Yuuki). But enough chit-chatting, enjoy.**

Chapter 9

He knew that he was dreaming the moment he opened his eyes.

The interior of the cabin was tainted in a warm yellowish light from the sun which was shining thru the windows and he was still spread across the couch. Slowly, he sat up, running a hand thru his hair. The movement felt strange, it was like his body was there but then again, not really, his self somehow detached from its physical shell. It seemed that the both were held together by some sort of invisible rubber band. He tried to stand up and just when he was about to move, his mind zoomed back into his body, the momentum throwing him back. For a couple of seconds, he simply sat still, waiting for the inner swinging to stop.

'What the hell?' he thought, this must have been the weirdest dream he had ever had.

"Akatsuki?" A wave of pleasure floated thru him. Whoever had said it was happy to see him.

He turned his head into the direction the voice had come from. Akane was leaning against the kitchen counter. What was she doing in his dream?

"It is not a dream."

It's not? A chuckle which was definitely not his echoed in his head.

Nonchalantly, she strode over to where he was sitting. More pleasure, anticipation and - was that anxiety?

"Well, not in the common sense. We are sleeping but our spirits are not, apparently," she explained.

'Of course, that makes perfectly sense,' Kain thought sarcastically. He didn't know what to made of this. Was this part of her noble powers? Was she able to pull his spirit or whatever she called it out of his body and put it in some sort of dream?

More anxiety, this time it clearly came across as trepidation of being rejected. Could it be that he was able to sense her emotions? Oh, wait a minute, that maybe would mean that she could sense his, too… Hastily, he tried to put up some sort of neutral expression. The whole time, Akane's gaze was fixed on him as if she was reading from his face as if it was a book.

"Will you believe me when I say that it is the first time this is happening?" She paused, apparently scrambling for an explanation.

"Somehow, I must have tapped into your soul when I first touched you with my ability. And this connection obviously allows us to come together… here." She looked around, not exactly knowing how to call it.

She was honest, this he could absolutely tell from what was emanating from her. He relaxed a bit since he also was curious. She smiled brightly at him in return.

"Where are we?" This time, he used his voice actually.

She sat down next to him on the couch, keeping a safe distance. But still… so close. Kain inhaled her scent, enjoying every nuance of her. Desire, he was not sure if it was coming from her or if it was his own sensation.

"I do not know but it must be some place in-between," she made a gesture with her hand. "No barriers here."

This was true, he felt it, too. Amazing.

When he looked at her face, he suddenly remembered what happened. Kaname had slapped her and it was his fault. This had to stop, he couldn't possibly impose more distress on her. If the pureblood found out that they had found a way to bypass his direct orders Kaname wouldn't stop at slapping her, that was certain. Kain froze.

"Shhh… " She tried to soothe him, her hand gently caressing his cheek. Kain closed his eyes. God, that felt incredible! In this space they were in her touch was so much more than just her fingertips on his skin. It went deeper, directly to his very core. Pure magic.

"Akane, we shouldn't do this. Kaname-" He tried to reason as long as he was able to but she cut him off.

"He will never know. He cannot follow us here."

How could she be so sure?

"Kaname will not be able to look inside our heads as long as he has not had our blood," she argued. "He did not have yours, did he?"

Kain shook his head. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he could do it, giving Kaname his blood that was, and he hoped that this question would never come up. Still, going against Kaname's orders was something he wasn't prepared to do. As much as he wanted to hold Akane again, he also was loyal towards the pureblood, even if this loyalty wasn't something genuine. He had already done enough damage and if he ever wanted to go back to the Kuran mansion, he had to comply. It was where his friends were after all. Ruka - her name came out of nowhere and his heart slumped when he thought about how it would be to never see her again. Right now, he admired her undaunted faith she had in Kaname, and though deeming her to be uncritical at times, he sometimes wished his attitude would be as firm as hers. But even if he had his doubts - and they might have even been legitimate - he wouldn't be going to go against their gang leader.

He looked up at Akane who smiled sadly at him. Of course, she knew, sorrow tugging at his heart when he felt her hurt. In this in-between state they were in, she could read his thoughts and he didn't need to spell it out for her. Later, he would surely regret his decision but his hands were tied. God damned, he didn't want to hurt her at all but yet he had done exactly it.

Akane took his hands in hers, her fingers stroking his palm.

"I understand, I really do," she said quietly, not looking him into the eyes. She was ashamed for her tears but he knew they're were there anyway.

"My dear cousin can be demanding and cruel but he always has his reasons." In Kain's ears, it sounded like a mantra.

Akane laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound.

"You may call it that if you want."

Well, Kain didn't really wonder about the trace of bitterness in her voice. After all, Kaname had killed her father. Holding his breath anxiously, he looked at her. Akane didn't look up.

Calmly, with her eyes fixed to their entwined hands, she said: "I know what he did. And still, I cannot bring myself to hate him."

"You know all of it?" he asked her incredulously. At least, Kaname hadn't hidden anything from her. Although Kain could imagine that it must have had been hard on her. If there was any pain involved she had brushed it off. It is what it is - the words popped up in his head. What a pragmatic approach.

"I might have spend my life insularly at this place but I have always been aware of the things going on around me." Obviously, Kaname and Takuma had been visiting her from time to time with Takuma being the one who had cheered her up. Kaname may have been many things but not a crowd pleaser, that was for sure. This earned him a small chuckle from Akane. Yeah, she knew that one, too. The pureblood didn't possess exactly a happy nature as one would call it.

The thought that Akane had chosen deliberately to stay far away from the rest of the vampire society crossed Kain's mind.

"I indeed prefer to live here," she said, picking up on his trail of thoughts. "Since I do not have any place I could go to out there," she added, an apologetic tone in her voice.

Kain raised one eyebrow. She certainly must have had a mother she could go to.

The thought of her mom let Akane flinch visibly and Kain regretted his lack of care instantly. Jesus, wasn't there a way for him to keep his thoughts to himself? But before he could go on scolding himself, he was drawn into her thoughts, a sequence of images passing by his inner eye. Apparently, Akane was thinking about the moment when her mother had decided not to visit her again. The memory was so vivid as if it was his own. She must have been not older than twelve or thirteen. No matter how much she had begged or how many tears she had cried, her mother had been adamant, looking down at her own daughter with cold eyes. Kain even thought to catch some disgust in them.

_"You look more and more like your father."_

…

_"I will not come back here, you belong to his family now."_

Kain watched as various emotions flickered thru her face. Her mother had hurt her terribly. Since then, Akane hadn't seen her. Over the years, she somehow had managed to transform her grief and anger into strength and kindness. In fact, he wouldn't have blamed her if she had become bitter over it but even more so, Kain admired her integrity.

In this very moment, his heart went out to her, the desire to hold her becoming overwhelming that he thought he might burst into thousand pieces. But he couldn't disobey Kaname, even if he had never wished for anything so strongly before. She wasn't to be touched, not here and not in the real world.

Finally, he whispered: "I'm sorry," not being able to look into her eyes. He didn't even know exactly what he was sorry for, the fact that her mother had abandoned her or that he was a coward.

He felt her hand touching his chin and gently lifting it so she was able to see his face. Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Do not be sorry, you have helped me a great deal and you are truly loyal to my cousin. I respect that, even I have to admit that I have hoped for us to resume that kiss we shared earlier." He could barely hear her saying those words, her voice only a hoarse whisper, but the effect they had on him wasn't any less intense. The memory of her lithe body in his arms and her soft lips almost floored him, letting him expect his heart jump out of his chest any second.

God, he was a fool to turn her away just like this but he had made his decision, no matter how loud the desire was roaring in his veins. If he remembered after he woke he still would have enough time to regret his foolishness. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Will we remember after we've woken up?" He really wanted to.

Akane thought about it for a moment before she answered.

"Probably not." Well, he had feared so, too. There were so much things he wanted to ask her but what was the point if he would have forgotten about the answers the minute he woke up?

Akane inched closer, putting one of his hands up to her cheek.

"You are worrying too much, Akatsuki." Well, she certainly was right but if he didn't who would?

She smiled at him. Oh, how he already loved that smile of hers. He dared to cover her hand with his, allowing himself briefly to indulge in the moment.

"You need to rest," she whispered against his lips, sending him off into the darkness of his own sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**This morning, review number two trickled in - thank you so much for reading!**

Chapter 10

Kain woke up early with a throbbing headache. He tried to sit up but the stinging pain behind his forehead made him fall back.

"Fucking hell," he muttered. Rubbing his temples, he tried to recall the dream he had been having but it wouldn't come back to him. It was as if there was a lid inside his head, preventing him from remembering. Eventually, he gave up, sighing deeply. Suddenly, he heard another sigh coming from his left.

Slowly, he turned his head to see Akane sleeping in a nest of blankets on the floor in front of the fireplace. Oh no, he must have had fallen asleep within seconds last night. Feeling guilty because she had to sleep on the floor in what would have been his spot, he gazed over her curled up figure.

She was truly beautiful as she was laying there, slumbering peacefully. Kain couldn't avert his eyes so he just watched her for a few moments. She was wearing only a black tank top with spaghetti straps and probably some sort of shorts, at least he assumed since she was covered with a blanket from the waist down. The cami revealed perfectly rounded shoulders and he was able to catch a glance of the slope of her breasts. From all what he could descry from his position on the couch, both must have had the right size to fit in each of his hands. The image of her ivory skin against his tanned hands was far too realistic and he shook his head to get it out of his mind. It wasn't supposed to happen, anyway.

Taking the last day's events into consideration, this was probably as close as he would ever get to her again. During the short episode in the woods, Kaname had been unmistakably clear about this, in fact, Kain thought that he had been lucky since he was still alive. The pureblood had given him the courtesy of a shot across the bow and Kain wasn't that stupid to ignore it.

Why hadn't Kaname told him who he would be meeting in the first place, for God's sake? If this had been a test then he had failed terribly. But with Kaname, one couldn't tell for sure sometimes why he did things and why he chose not to share his decisions with others. No matter how he looked at it, the damage was done, there was nothing Kain could do to turn back the clock and change his actions. And besides, was it really such a bad thing that they had kissed? Why would the pureblood even bother? Sure, family and all that he-had-to-look-out-for-her stuff, Kain would probably be a bit pissed, too, if someone else hit on a close female member without paying his respect to him first. Vampires were very possessive creatures after all and everything or everyone that was considered their subject would be protected fiercely.

His gaze fell back on the sleeping woman on the floor. Regardless the pureblood's intervention, Kain realized that he indeed wanted to protect this woman. The revelation hit him rather unexpectedly. When had this happened? He wasn't the type who fell easily for a woman, especially with the commitment he had made towards Ruka. Granted, it might be irrelevant to the rest of the world and he knew for sure that Hanabusa thought that he was a lost cause but it mattered to him nevertheless. So what had caused this reaction? The fact that Akane obviously wanted him? That couldn't be all though. There had been women (or girls more so) before who unmistakably had showed interest in him but he always had been unfazed by such advances. The only thing he knew was that she had touched something inside him he hadn't known it was there before. More precisely, it was like a gentle tug he wasn't able to resist.

Kain recalled the moments they had shared in the cave, a warm feeling radiating from his stomach thru his whole body while doing so. She had kissed him back then, he was sure of that. The memories brought back the heavy scent of her arousal mixed with her little gasps that had filled the air. Along with those sensations came the whole package of erotic images which his vivid fantasy created in front of his inner eye.

Kain put one hand over his eyes and suppressed a groan.

He needed relief and there was only one way to get it. He knew, he would feel kind of bad afterwards for doing it in her bathroom while she had been sleeping in the next room, but he wasn't going to leave with his hormones in uproar. And since he doubted that blood tablets would be able to cure the burning in his lower abdomen, there was no other option to put an end to this situation than to do it himself.

Carefully, as not to wake her, he got up, the headache sending a jolt of pain thru his spine. It kind of felt as if someone had put a dagger inside his head. This wasn't good. It had never been this bad before but he really hoped it would go away quickly, he couldn't have this right now, not when he was supposed to hike down to the hunters' quarter tonight.

He tiptoed past her to the bathroom and closed the door quietly. Putting both hands on the sink, he looked into the mirror. Ok, not quite so bad as he was feeling but still. He turned on the cold water and splashed some of it into his face, running his hands thru his hair. Better. He would need a quick shower and something to eat before leaving. A blood tablet or two couldn't hurt, either.

He discarded his clothes and stepped into the shower. The warm water was balm for both his soul and his aching head, allowing him to gradually relax. He put both his hands on the tiles and lifted his head, letting the water rinse over his face. He stood there for awhile, his head perfectly empty. The pain in his head succumbed and soon he was feeling a lot better.

Slowly, the wheels in his head started turning again. Pretty much 24 hours ago, he had been taking a shower in the Kuran mansion. Now, that seemed like a whole other planet to him. Strange enough, he had never felt more alive in his whole life than right now. Even though he missed Hanabusa and Ruka, his friends since childhood, he was finding himself in a position he began to like. Actually, he was looking forward to the hike to the hunter's quarter. With his private life going into pieces, that was the one thing he could do and he was going to do it the right way.

His mind wandered back to Akane who was most likely still asleep in the living room. Why hadn't he seen that she was a member of the Kuran family the moment they had met? It wasn't like the similarity between Kaname and her wasn't obvious. They could have been brother and sister if not for the fact that Kaname didn't have any siblings - and Yuuki didn't really count since the son of Juri and Haruka had been sacrificed by Rido in order to resurrect the ancestor. And though Kain wanted to believe that Rido had loved his daughter, he also couldn't deny the fact that he had been a twisted man. How Kaname must have had felt about it, Kain could only guess. Being resurrected by the cost of a baby's life, well, that was something that stuck with someone, no matter how caring Juri and Haruka had been towards Kaname, raising him in their son's place. But even with all the compassion Kain was able to muster for the situation the pureblood had been put in, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of his head that prevented him from trusting Kaname blindly.

Kain remembered vividly the day Kaname had come to the Aidou villa to ask permission of Hanabusa's father that his son would be allowed to accompany him to the academy. Once Aidou Senior had acquiesced in the pureblood's request, there was no doubt that Ruka and Kain wouldn't follow, too.

That day, it had been a particularly nice day, sunny with a slightly cooling breeze, Ruka had been wearing a stunning blue dress, skirt ending an inch above her knees and the v-neck just revealing enough cleavage to not let it look cheap. The whole day, Kain hadn't been able to take his eyes off her, following her around like a puppy. If she had been irritated by his pursuit, she hadn't shown, instead, she had been in a light mood and allowed him to sort of flirt with her. As a matter of fact, that was the last day Kain had seen her untroubled. Their relationship - or whatever one might have had call it they had with each other - had been going downhill since then, culminating in the night when Kaname had claimed her blood. After that night, she hadn't been the same, tainted irrevocably by the pureblood.

While Ruka and Hanabusa had been hooked from the very beginning and shared Kaname's enthusiasm for the idea, Kain only reluctantly agreed to join the academy. For him, the determining factor had been Ruka and her absolute will to follow the pureblood. So eventually, he had decided to attend academy in order to be close to Ruka. But Kaname hadn't seemed to care about his motives, instead Kain had advanced quickly to their gang leader's right hand. Maybe, of all things, it was for his skepticism that Kaname had trusted him. Even more so now that Takuma was gone the hell knows where.

Kain really wished that Takuma would rejoin their little gang, he had always been such a nice contrast to Kaname's sour mood.

A loud knock at the bathroom door brought him out of his thoughts.

"Akatsuki?" Akane obviously had woken up. "Are you alright in there?" Her voice was a bit muffled by the door between them and the noise of the running water but he could her concern.

He turned off the water.

"Yes, I'm fine." He pushed aside the shower curtain, looking for a towel. "I'll be out in a minute."

Jesus, for how long had he been showering? Well, long enough to get her woken up and worried. What also meant that his needs would have to wait a bit longer. Sort of angry with himself, he wished that he would have had finished the urgent matters at hand, so to speak, first instead of pondering about the things which laid in the past. And where the hell was the damn towel?

"Shit," he cursed.

The answer came from the other side of the door instantaneously.

"Akatsuki?"

"Uh… I'm looking for a towel. Can you tell me where to find one?"

Silence. Foot steps moving away from the door, he heard her opening what sounded like a drawer and closing it again. More foot steps, this time moving towards the bathroom door.

"Akane?"

She tried the door handle. His heart stopped beating for a second or two. Thank God, he had locked the door.

"You have locked the door, Akatsuki," she remarked.

Hell, of course, he had locked the freaking door. The last thing he needed right now was Akane being with him in this tiny bathroom, let alone seeing him naked. And before any images could manifest themselves in his head, he simply refused to entertain this phantasy any longer, taking a deep breath.

"Please leave it there, I'll come and get it, thank you." There was a small thud in front of the door. The towel. He could hear her retreating back to the middle of the room, away from the door.

He stepped out of the bathtub and got into his pants before he went to open the door. The towel was right at his feet. He stooped down to pick it up. While coming up again, he scanned the room and his gaze fell on Akane who was sitting on the couch, openly staring at him with saucer eyes. When she noticed that she had been caught, she quickly turned her head but it wasn't fast enough for Kain who still could see her blushing.

He opened his mouth to say something but shut it again, not being able to take his eyes off her. Indeed, she was wearing shorts which revealed long creamy legs. Actually, these shorts ended exactly where her thighs began while her tank top snuggled against her body like a second skin, leaving nothing to his imagination. The fabric spanned over perfectly sized breasts, the straps reclined to beautiful collar bones directly next to the unimaginably elegant curve of her neck, her skin simply flawless. There was nothing ordinary about her. Maybe if he stared a bit longer, this piece of fabric would magically disappear?

Bloodlust crept up on him, he could feel it lurking at the back of his head, waiting to swallow the very rest of his sanity any moment.

With his self-control only being held by a few threads, he somehow forced himself to turn around and close the door behind him. Once he had brought this piece of solid wood between himself and Akane, he leaned against it with his back, eyes closed. His heart was pounding as if he had just run a few miles straight. He held onto the towel with his dear life, almost ripping it to shreds.

Why had he even had to look at her? He could have had simply picked up the towel and gone back to the bathroom. But now, with the image of her wearing this piece of fabric which didn't deserve the name pajamas burned into his mind, he was doomed. If they both kept having such encounters, it would be quite impossible for him to live thru the next couple of days without pulling her into his arms, taking her face into his hands and kissing her thoroughly at the first opportunity he got. The fact that made it even harder for him to restrain himself was that she felt the same. The way she had stared at him… it almost had been predatory. He shivered at the idea what she would do if he let her have her way with him.

He ran one hand thru his hair, taking a deep breath.

"Jesus, Akatsuki, calm down!" he muttered to himself. Retrieving the small box with pills from his pocket, he went over to the basin. He took two pills and quickly washed them down with cold water. Waiting for the effect to set in, Kain stared at his reflection in the mirror.

This silliness had to end right here. Yes, Akane was beautiful and alluring and yes, he wanted her - alone the thought scared the hell out of him. He had never wanted anything or anybody, for that matter, than Ruka. Until 24 hours ago, she had been the center of his universe. She had been the one he first had thought of when getting up and his last thought had been directed to her before falling asleep. Granted, his feelings had been one-sided, being near her had been tantalizing to some extent but at least it had been a constant he could rely on. No matter how forlorn his future might have had been with Ruka, Kain had never wasted a second to think about giving up on her. It still was his destiny to love her even if she didn't reciprocate his feelings, wasn't it?

After a couple of minutes, his breathing got more even and Kain actually allowed himself to relax the fraction of an inch. He sighed at the sight of his messy hair and tried to tame it with a few strokes of his hand but he gave up quickly. This was useless, it would look disheveled after a couple of minutes anyway, seeming to have a life of its own. He picked up his shirt from where he had discarded it earlier and put it on.

'I can do this,' he reassured himself. With that said, he went to the door and put his hand on the knob, hesitating for a moment. Whatever sort of feelings he had towards Akane, he shoved them aside. It was time for him to get ready and accomplish his task. He could still worry about his emotional mess later.

When he opened the door, he found her standing in the kitchen, preparing food. It smelled deliciously of omelet. She had her back to him and to his relief, she had put on a sweater and long pants.

"Can you please help me with setting the table? I already put the dishes out on the counter." Akane made a gesture with her head. Somehow, her voice sounded strained to him but Kain wasn't sure since she still hadn't turned around so he couldn't see her face.

Silently, he followed her order, wondering if she was mad at him. He wouldn't blame her though. Living under the pureblood's thumb would bring one to the edge sooner or later. It must be even harder for Akane since she was related to Kaname, with him being directly responsible for her.

He finished his task within a couple of minutes and sat down at the table, waiting for her to join him with the food. She was still in the kitchen, her back to him. Her braided hair covered her backbone all the way down. As he was watching her, she suddenly paused for a moment, her shoulders going stiff. It was not much of a movement at all but Kain could see it nonetheless, his power of observation paired with his vampire senses making it impossible to miss it. Tension was radiating off her.

"Akane?" He asked tentatively, not wanting to startle her in any way.

She seemed to gather herself before she turned around, facing him. A plate with food in each hand, she looked calm.

"Breakfast is ready," she announced, trying to let her voice sound cheerful. She crossed the room and put the steaming plates on the table. As last night, she sat down across him.

"Enjoy as long as it is warm." With that said, the plate in front of her had her full attention.

"Thank you," Kain answered. He didn't want to poke around so he went with it.

Whatever it was that was bothering her, the delicious smell of fried eggs and vegetables drove off Kain's thoughts of it. He was indeed hungry and he pitched into the omelet without hesitating. The next couple of minutes were rife with edacious silence.

Sated, Kain leaned back in his chair.

"That was the best omelet I had in a long time."

Akane looked up from her plate, pleased.

"I am glad to hear that. Omelet is the only dish I know besides throwing some rice into boiling water." She laughed and it seemed to Kain that the meal has lifted her spirits as well. He guessed that his mother had been right saying to him that a well stuffed stomach would make any person happier.

"You don't cook?" He was curious. But more so, he wanted to have a normal conversation with her, wanting her to feel comfortable.

Shoving the last bite into her mouth, Akane looked at him for a moment as if she had to decide whether to accept his invitation for small talk or not. After a second of consideration, she put her fork down and smiled one of her gorgeous smiles, making his insides melt.

"No, I usually do not cook or to put it differently, I cannot cook very well," she admitted playfully. "So I am thankful that somewhere along the way humans invented canned food."

Kain laughed.

"Yeah, that's true. It might not exactly be gourmet but it sustains you."

"I assume that living with Kaname means that you do not have to eat canned food," she added and winked at him.

Kain tried to picture the pureblood opening a can but he simply couldn't. More likely, Kaname would rather prefer stay hungry than eating such food. He wasn't even sure if the pureblood had ever cooked anything in his whole life.

"So what about you, Akatsuki? Do you know how to cook?", she asked suddenly.

"Yes, I certainly know how to cook. Not the fancy stuff though but still." He paused and looked her in the eyes. They were shining and he could see his reflection in the purple pools. Were they flirting? He wasn't allowed to touch her but he could cook for her.

"How about I cook for you when I'm back from the hunters' quarters?" There, he had spat it out. Holding his breath, he waited for her answer.

Akane looked at him intently. Kain sat still, letting her eyes pinching right thru him. He was afraid that if he moved she would shy away.

"I gladly accept your offer, Akatsuki," she said, smiling at him.

He released his breath.

"Good. It's a deal then." He stood up to bring their plates back to the kitchen.

The sun already had fully set and it was time for him to set out. Now, that he had something to look forward to, he was eager to leave in order to come back as soon as possible. Cooking was something he enjoyed doing, it reminded him on family gatherings where he had been allowed to spend time in the kitchen so he hadn't been in the way when his mother indulged herself in a decoration blast, watching the servants preparing the meals. It had fascinated him how they created delicious treats from a few ingredients that sounded so boring on their own. That process of transformation had caught his interest and he remembered pestering the poor cook with questions.

While he was letting his mind wander, he rinsed the plates in the sink and put them on a towel to dry.

Akane came towards him, carrying a bundle of clothes in front of her. "You will need to wear this."

It were pants, a sweater and something that looked like a ski mask, all in black. He took the pants and the sweater, hesitating when he reached out for the mask. Questioningly, he looked at her.

"Your hair color is not exactly what one would call inconspicuous," she explained.

Well, of course.

"While you are changing, I will be outside looking for your escort. Meet us there." She was gone the next second, the door falling shut.

**So, I finally made up my mind how things will go with the hunters' association. More in the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, the summer is almost over and I finally got the time to write! I hope you all had a wonderful time and to my fellow readers at the East coast, I hope you and your families are safe and sound. As always, reviews and comments are much appreciated. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

Kain stepped out into the night. The moon was shining dimly thru a milky layer of clouds. He was wearing the clothes Akane had given to him, the mask securely stowed away in the back pocket of his pants. He would put it on later.

The air was crisp and smelled of leaves and soil. Kain took a deep breath, enjoying the cool air on his face for a couple of seconds.

He looked around and found Akane standing about a hundred feet away from the cabin. To each side, there was one wolf sitting and the three of them looked like dark statues.

Kain went down the stairs and closed the distance between them. Once again, he marveled at her magnificence. Tall, proud and incredibly beautiful. The fact that she was half Kuran scared him a little. But that was not entirely true either, it was not that he was afraid of her, it was more like an absurdly silly shyness which befell him whenever he got close to her.

Coming to a halt a couple of feet away from her, he could see the moon light reflecting in her eyes.

Akane inclined her head.

"I never introduced you properly to the two companions of mine."

The two wolves pricked up their ears instantly and looked up to Akane as if they knew exactly that she was going to talk about them.

"The male's name is Chiko and the female is Chichi. I chose Chiko as the one who will be accompanying you tonight." Said wolf wagged his tail shortly and looked at him. It was the same wolf who had picked him up from the gas station and who had found him in the woods after he followed Akane.

Kain didn't know what to answer so he simply nodded. The male had dark brown fur with strands of grey in it and his eyes sat like black shiny beetles in his face. Kain hadn't seen many wolves before but he could tell that the wolf was huge, reaching up to the middle of Akane's thigh. In the meantime, the female was whimpering quietly, stomping anxiously with her paws. The female wolf was more petite than her companion with lighter fur and what seemed to Kain a friendlier face. But that was probably just an extrinsic feature, Kain had no doubt that both animals were dangerous hunters and ferocious fighters.

"Well, shall we?" It was already completely dark and Kain wanted to leave. Chiko trotted over to him, turned around to face his master, waiting for her approval.

Akane padded the female wolf's head in a comforting manner, making her calm down significantly.

"Chichi and I will be waiting for your safe return." And with that said, they both were dismissed. Kain was sure that he had been missing a good amount of the communication since he wasn't able to share the bond.

Chiko was about to leap forward but Kain hesitated. He had the feeling that Akane was holding back. She looked worried, her eyes bearing a watery shimmer and he scrambled for words, wanting to tell her that he would take good care of the wolf.

"We'll be back soon, I promise," was all he could manage to say. Judging from the expression on her face, it wasn't enough.

Impatiently, Chiko gave a short bark, drawing Kain's attention away from Akane. The next second, the wolf started to run, gaining ground quickly. With one last glance at Akane's dark figure, Kain turned around and followed the animal into the woods. There wasn't much he could do for her anyway.

He was able to catch up in a short amount of time and soon they both were running silently next to each other, Chiko leading the way.

Kain's thoughts were spinning. He hated to leave Akane like that, obviously upset. Her eyes… he had never before seen eyes like hers. Again, he wondered what it was that drew him to her. Taking the time he had known her into consideration, she actually was a stranger to him but he didn't feel that way. It rather felt strangely pleasant to be around her and he didn't meant holding her in his arms with that - that had been excitingly sexy. He shook his head and suppressed the memory of that particular moment, he couldn't have that right now.

Her similarity with Kaname had shocked him. When he had seen them both standing next to each other in the woods, it was almost frightening how striking the resemblance was. At this particular moment, he hadn't paid much attention to it, but now, looking back, he had to say that Akane bore all the features of the Kuran family. Luckily for her, she hadn't inherited her father's heterochromatic eyes. She got not only the grace and beauty but also the charisma. It was almost…

Kain stopped so abruptly that he was having difficulties keeping the balance. The woods seemed to be spinning around him and he braced himself, putting his hands on his knees. Could it be? It would explain why he felt the way he did around her. But that wasn't not possible, was it?

The wolf who had noticed by now, too, that Kain had come to a halt trotted back to where Kain stood and sat down in front of him, cocking his head. Patiently, the dark grey animal waited for Kain to speak. Kain straightened, inhaling deeply.

"Oh don't you look at me like that," Kain blurted out, reproachfully. This was idiotic, talking to a wolf, that was. But honestly, the whole situation was messed up, he started with the wrong foot from the very beginning, crashing the tiles in the shower before he had left the mansion. So what could be so bad about talking to an animal? He sighed, running a hand thru his hair. The wolf was still sitting there, staring at him.

Kain looked up thru the trees into the night sky. There were a few ragged clouds moving above, but mostly, it was clear with stars scattered across the canopy. It was actually a beautiful night. For a minute or so, he simply stood there, letting his mind calm down enough to get some sense into the things he had just discovered.

Akane was a pureblood. And if that alone wasn't enough, she was also Rido Kuran's daughter and therefore Kaname's cousin - a fact that made her a highly ranked vampire. If the vampire society found out that there was another member of the Kuran family everyone would surely be shocked by that revelation. Purebloods were both adored and feared by lesser vampires at the same time due to their power they had over the rest of their kind.

But besides all the political implications, one question burned at the tip of his tongue: Why hadn't he noticed the first time he had seen her? Not that he knew many purebloods but from what he could tell, they were like beacons in the dark, sticking out not only because of their extra-ordinary beauty but also because of their incredible power which transcended their physical form, making the air around them buzzing with energy. So why was it that Akane was different? Why didn't she make him feel the way he felt when he was around Kaname?

Kain's head started to spin from the speed questions assailing him now. Had he been so attracted to her because she was a pureblood? If that was the only reason, if there was nothing genuine about his feelings towards her, wasn't he supposed to feel at least some sort of relief about that? He simply would fulfill his task here and go back to the Kuran mansion where Hanabusa and Ruka would be waiting for him to return. His love for Ruka would come back to him with full force, making him forget the kiss Akane and he had shared. Kain waited for the realization to kick in and his feelings to be set straight again but no such thing happened. Frustrated with himself, he ran a hand thru his hair and let his head fall back.

He had no clue how long he had been standing there in the middle of the woods, staring into the night sky, when he felt a warm, wet touch on his left hand. He looked down, bemused, to see the wolf nuzzling his hand with his nose.

The wolf was right, they needed to keep moving. This wasn't the time and the place to sort out his emotions. Whatever he was to find in his heart, he wouldn't find out right now.

Padding the wolf's head, he said: "Ok then. Let's move on."

The wolf gave a short bark, turned around and leaped forward. Kain did the same, holding the pace and together, they made their way thru the darkness.

After some time, the terrain changed. They had left the deep of the woods and were now entering an rocky area with lesser trees, moving slightly downhill. In the distance, Kain could see the lights of the small town. They had approximately 5 miles or so left, Kain estimated.

Again, having four feet, the wolf was clearly in advantage for moving on this compound. Kain tried to keep up and thanks to his vampire speed and agility, he was able to compensate the lack of two more legs.

Quickly, they approached the town. As Kain could see now, it actually was more like a village, small houses huddled against each other with narrow streets cutting thru, mostly covered in darkness at this time of the night with only a few street lights here and there. They kept right since the building complex they were supposed to check out laid on the West side of the town. If he recalled the map correctly, the park behind the quarters passed on to the woods seamlessly so it would provide them enough cover to allow them to get close enough.

At one point, the wolf suddenly stopped and gave a low bark. Kain came to a halt after a second, too, and looked at Chiko who was closing the distance between them. The wolf circled around him and drew the mask from his back pocket. Kain couldn't refrain from grinning and took the black piece of fabric out of the wolf's muzzle. Akane was really watching him closely. The sole thought sent a shiver down his spine and his stomach did some sort of somersault.

"Jesus Christ, just get a hold to yourself," he muttered to himself, thankful for the darkness hiding the redness in his face. This wasn't the time for things like this!

The wolf barked again, pushing Kain's hand with his nose.

"Ok, you're right. I'll put it on." Kain pulled the mask over his face, making sure that none of his hair was showing. He turned around to follow the wolf who was already moving again.

They were close to the village now. Kain could smell the humans who were sleeping in their homes, completely oblivious. He smelled the garbage and the sewage water, mixed with the aroma of the various dishes which had been served for dinner. Sometimes, he condemned his vampire senses. Not for any money in the world would he want to live in a town, not to mention a larger city.

The nearer they came the lesser the trees, making it difficult for them to find cover. Silently, the moved from one bush to the next, always avoiding the lights, radiating a dim light into the forest. The were about to reach the edge of the park when Chiko suddenly stopped right in front of him, a low growl emanating from his chest. The hair on the wolf's neck stood up and Kain crouched behind the animal, listening into the silence of the night.

They were maybe 100 yards away from the park. Kain could see the quarters thru the thicket, the park area lying quietly before them. But then he glimpsed a movement at the right side of the park area, near the brick wall, out of the corner of his eye. He looked closer and suddenly he saw two more figures skirting the edge of the woods. Trying to concentrate harder, Kain closed his eyes to give his sense of hearing a boost. The sound of the breezy wind became a storm in his ears but Kain fought it down, reaching out to the hunter's building with his senses. After blinding out the white noise, he was able to hear voices coming from behind the brick wall. They were muffled as if commands were given in a whisper. Kain's ears also picked up a couple other sounds: a clicking noise, feet pattering and clothes rustling. The clicking noise most likely came from weapons being loaded. It was hard to tell how many people there were but Kain had counted five clicks so it might be safe to assume that there were five on the premises and at least 3 more already out in the woods. That would make eight in total.

Damn, there was no chance to get near the building tonight. But even more important, what was going on here? Did they know that he was coming tonight? Kain couldn't believe that, it was highly unlikely, although not completely impossible, that somebody had tipped them off. So why were they swarming out? From the way the soldiers were moving it looked as if they were looking for someone or something. Whoever it was, he or she couldn't have gotten far, probably hiding in the woods. Anyway, it wasn't safe for him and the wolf to be here.

Chiko turned to look at him. Kain motioned his head into the direction from where they had come from to tell the animal that they needed to retreat. The wolf understood immediately and without hesitating the grey furry figure headed past him, vanishing into the thicket.

Kain cursed silently. This wasn't going according to plan. Kaname had given him three days and now, the first chance had already passed before he had gotten the opportunity to check things out at all. But soon enough, there would be more than a handful of hunters out in the woods, fully armored. And he didn't need to guess what would happen if they were to find him sneaking around. And above all, the building complex seemed to be guarded more heavily than they had anticipated which led to the next question - what the hell was IN the building that had to be protected?

He was thinking hard now. Maybe he could use this moment when all the guards were out in the woods looking for whatever it was to get into the building? Just one quick glance and he'd be out again in a minute or so. Yeah, like hell, this sounded reckless in his ears, that was all but calculated risk, it was more like a suicide mission since he had no idea what to expect once he got past the brick wall. And getting himself killed hadn't been part of Kaname's orders.

Another glance in the building's direction told him that the gates were opening to spit out more guards, each of them heavily armed. He had heard correctly. Five. Three of them were heading to the left and the other two were walking out on the green of the park, moving quickly into his direction. And as if this wasn't bad enough, one of them got a dog on a leash. Not any dog, it was a huge beast, his eyes gleaming in the dark and saliva dripping from his lips. Its paws were as big as saucers and from the way it was sniffing the ground and pulling the leash, it had probably found a trace already. Like this, there was no chance for him to get thru the building. He had no choice other than to retreat.

He turned around and started to run after the wolf when he heard a rustling in the bushes not far away of him.

Immediately, he sought cover, hiding behind one of the nearest tree. Chiko was already gone, probably way ahead of him, so he was all by himself. Heart pounding, Kain kept still, trying to listening to any sound. There was a good chance that he had missed any soldier who was already out in the woods, just because he had been too distracted by the things going on around him. He scolded himself for being so thoughtless but there was no time to dwelling on it now. If he wanted to get out of it alive, he had to act NOW.

Cautiously, he peeked around the tree, checking out if there was was any instant danger lurking in the shadows of the surrounding thicket. Nothing.

He once again extended his vampire hearing, scanning the area for any unusual noises. A low growl came from the direction of the rustling, followed by some sort of whimper but Kain couldn't say if it was a human sound. A second or two later, there was a commotion as if a fight was going on and he heard a loud yowl which made Kain's heart skip a beat, an icy feeling settling in his stomach.

"Shit", he cursed. No chance that the guards wouldn't have heard that. The monstrous guard dog started barking wildly. It ceased after a couple of seconds and Kain could hear hushed voices echoing across the park. Apparently, the guards were re-grouping in order to explore the area where he was in. Lovely.

The longer he stayed here the more precious time he waisted to get away. But he couldn't just let it go, not if Chiko was in danger or injured in some sort of way or even worse so he came out of his cover and moved silently to where the noise had come from. He could hear the guards' feet moving over the ground, rustling of fallen leaves but nothing noticeable, all noises blending in the soundscape of the night perfectly. They were well trained. One more reason to vanish, the sooner the better.

Quickly, he gained ground, cutting thru some bushes, passing a couple of trees, well aware of the guards behind him - but there was nothing what could have prepared him for what he saw when he reached the place where he had heard the fight coming from.

Kain stepped into a small clearing, only a few square feet of size. The smell of blood washed over him like a wave, almost knocking him off his feet. What the hell? Swaying, he had to blink once or twice to see thru the thick red mist that was clouding his sight. The smell was so intense that Kain had the impression of the air surrounding him had turned red.

Blood was a powerful liquid, transporting all kinds of information. Vampires could not only smell if a person was healthy or not, they also drew on a much deeper level - emotions, memories and thoughts. A very strong mix of pain, fear and desperation was gilding the scene, Kain had to struggle to keep his breath going while he took in the scene.

Kain's heart sank to the bottom of his stomach, leaving a nauseous feeling in his intestines, like if he had just had a ride in an elevator which was going down too fast.

"Shit."

Chiko was laying on his side with a gash at his shoulder, bleeding. The wolf raised his head to look at him.

Kain felt a sudden relief, releasing his breath. The animal was alive and though the wound looked bad, he didn't think that it was life threatening. But it meant that he would need to carry the wolf back to the cabin since there was no way Chiko would be able to walk. It would slow them down considerably though and with all the blood they would also leave a trace.

The person who had done this to Chiko hunkered down next to the wolf, sobbing quietly and holding what it seemed an injured hand. The wolf must have bitten her. The surrounding trees let thru only little light but Kain could see that the woman had short gray hair and was wearing a whitish lab coat. The weapon, a knife, laid next to her feet.

Something about her reminded him of a detail he had seen earlier and he looked closer at her. The scar which crossed her left cheek stood out in a ghastly white color and Kain immediately recognized her as the woman from the pictures Seiren had showed him the day before. She was rocking back and forth, muttering to herself. With some effort, Kain was able to make out the words 'hurt' and 'coming' but beyond that, the bubbling didn't make any sense to him. She probably was in shock. He would deal with her later.

Without paying any further attention to her, he rushed over to the wolf's side, taking off his mask at the same time. He ripped it open and since it was made of elastic material he was going to use it as a pressure bandage to stop the bleeding. His shirt would serve as an extra bandage to hold it all together. Kain took off his shirt and started working since there wasn't any time to loose.

A cool breeze caressed his torso but he ignored it. The cold wouldn't do anything to him, at least not anytime soon. He was more worried about the hunters who were out there in the woods and certainly looking for them.

He worked fast and tried to dress the wound as quickly as possible without causing too much stress to the animal. Chiko laid quietly thru the whole procedure. When Kain was done, he looked at his work and decided that it had to do for the moment. There was no time for being overly accurate.

Next, Kain turned to the woman. She looked terrified, eyes open wide from fear. She was staring at him but he couldn't say if she was actually looking at him. It didn't matter, anyway. In her current state, he wasn't sure if any kind of mental suggestion would work on her and he didn't want to risk to start a fight with her. Whatever Kaname's order might have been, Chiko wasn't going to run back to Akane's place so his choice was made. Since he couldn't carry both, the woman had to stay back. They would have to come back for her another time.

Letting out a sigh, Kain stood up, taking the animal with him. He shoved one hand under the wolf's head, the other under his hip, hoping that the move wouldn't stress the wound too much. He cradled the animal and wanted to leave when he felt a hand closing around his left ankle.

He looked down at the woman. Her face looked old and pale but it carried a determined expression.

"Take me with you," she whispered. "They are coming for me. Please!" Panic was all over her voice.

She looked over her shoulder, clearly frightened. Kain could her the soldiers moving thru the underwood. It wouldn't take long before they would find them here. And suddenly, it hit him. They were out in the night because of the woman kneeling in front of him. She must have escaped. So he had interpreted the expression she bore in the pictures Seiren had showed him correctly. She was a prisoner herself.

The decision was made in a blink of a second.

"Can you run?" Kain asked her.

She looked at her hand, then back up to him and nodded.

"Well, let's go then. And take the knife with you." He turned around and started to trot at a moderate pace so he could be sure that the woman was able to keep up.

His mind was racing while he ran, the wolf heavy in his arms. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to escape their hunters. What they needed was some kind of distraction.

He stopped and turned around. The woman came to halt next to him several seconds later, panting.

"Stand behind me," he advised her and she did as told. Carefully, he put Chiko down in front of his feed. He stood comfortably then, concentrating on his inner fire. It was always there, idling in the back of his mind, a constant warmth that flooded thru him. Now all he needed was the small flame to flare. He gathered his strength and watched with his inner eye how the flame grew bigger and bigger. A pool of liquid heat filled his palms and Kain opened the gate to release to fire from his hands.

Flames shot out, long rays of heat, setting the ground on fire several yards away. Since it hadn't been raining for a couple of days the leaves on the ground were dry enough to nourish the flames. The fire spread quickly, creating a sizzling hot barrier between them and the hunters. The flames would also burn any trace of them which gave them the advantage they needed. By the time the fire was out they would be gone.

Kain allowed himself to admire the beauty of the flames for a few seconds. They tainted the night sky in a gleaming red and he watched, mesmerized, as the flames awakened to life, devouring the trees around them.

Reluctantly, he pulled away. He scooped up the wolf and turned around. The grey haired woman looked at him, aghast, and she started to say something but he cut her off.

"Let's go before the fire catches up."


	12. Chapter 12

**I tried not to let you wait so long this time. The chapter is from Akane's POV. Please R&R :-)**

Chapter 12

Akane watched Kain and Chiko vanishing between the trees. She couldn't quite understand why it saddened her heart because she knew that Kain would take good care of the wolf but the lump in her throat wasn't going away.

After a few minutes of staring into the blackness of the woods, she went back to the house. Chichi accompanied her, her soft fur caressing Akane's thigh. The female wolf was especially susceptible to her master's emotions and she felt the uneasiness radiating off her.

They reached the steps to the cabin. Akane bent down to tousle the fur in the neck.

"It will be alright," she promised. "Now go off. We will have plenty of time before the two of them get back." She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt and tried to give her thoughts a positive attitude since Chichi wouldn't be fooled easily.

The female wolf trotted away, she would most likely stay close to the house, roaming around restlessly until Chiko was back.

Akane went back into the house. She closed the door behind her and stood for awhile, her back leaned against the uneven wood of the door. The smell of food was still lingering in the air but underlying, Akane could still smell Kain's presence. The air had a slightly musky note but it was not unpleasant, mixed with the scent of dried wood and something else. She couldn't really couch it but if she was to choose a word she would say the room smelled like the sun, warm and cosy.

The scent brought back the memory of their kiss and she touched her lips with her fingertips, smiling. She had liked it. It had been completely unexpected but undeniably enjoyable. It had been a while since she felt this way, not since … She shook her head, pushing herself from the door and went to the kitchen. It had been a couple of years and she'd rather not think about it.

She frowned. It was difficult for her to not let this particular night pass her inner eye. Though she knew that she would be devastated afterwards, the pleasure she felt while remembering outweighed the pain.

While she was putting away the plates Kain had laid out to dry next to the sink, she let the memories come back to her.

…

_She hasn't heard anything from Kaname for a couple of weeks now. The last time he visited her, he was absentminded and monosyllabic. Something was on his mind but he chose not to talk about it. Not that he has ever actually talked about anything to her, only this time he was even more reticent. But they share the same blood after all and so Akane can tell when something bothers him. It is unwise though to push him as she had to learn._

_It has been a bit more than ten years that Kaname killed Rido Kuran. She hasn't forgiven her cousin fully, only by now, she has come to the conclusion that Kaname did what he had to and that her father had acted insanely. He did unspeakably things, she understands that now, feeling pity for the lives that has been destroyed so carelessly. The little girl inside her still misses him but time does heal wounds and over the years the throbbing pain has become only a pale shadow on her soul. Every now and then though, tears well up in her eyes out of some silly notion and let her feel the pain again._

_Now is such a moment. Akane blinks the tears away, trying not get overwhelmed by grief._

_All these sorts of thoughts are crossing her mind when a low growl coming from the living area attracts her attention. Chiko, the six months old wolf cub, has raised his head, ears pricked. He's resting with his sister on the couch and Chichi who is still in a slumber stirs at the noise._

_Akane ceases to put the dishes away and listens._

_"Is somebody coming?" Her voice sounds a tad worried. A short bark is the answer._

_She goes over to the couch and pets Chiko's head. The fur still has the babyish softness and though he's not bigger than a mid sized fox, his paws indicate that he'll be an impressive wolf one day. Who is coming at this time of the night? Usually, Kaname always sends a messenger up front to inform her and besides that, she would know if it was him. The blood line they share enables them to recognize each other's presence._

_Chichi is awake now, too._

_"Shhh," Akane mouthes and puts a finger to Chichi's muzzle before the little female can make a sound. "We all want to be quiet, ok?"_

_Both wolves go still immediately, looking at her master. Akane can feel their minds buzzing within her own head, their anxiousness mixed with fear and a good amount of protective instinct. She thinks it's amazing to be connected to them on that kind of level but stops marveling and moves over to the door instead._

_She opens it and steps out into the night, barefooted. When she recognizes the vampire who is approaching the cabin she relaxes. A smile appears on her face instead and she walks down the steps towards the blond haired vampire._

_"Takuma." She bows lightly. "What brings you here at this hour?"_

_She looks behind him, scanning the area for any signs of her cousin._

_"Kaname is not with you, I assume?"_

_Takuma puts his right hand over his heart and bows in respond to her greeting._

_"Akane." His green eyes sparkle with the light of the stars. Her stomach is doing somersaults and she tries to hide her inner excitement by keeping her exterior demeanor calm._

_"I apologize for intruding without advance notice," he goes on. Is that worry in his voice? Akane wonders and her heart lumps in her throat. She looks closer and notices that his features look somewhat strained, his emerald eyes serious. Takuma is usually a bright spirit even in the direst situations and she has never seen him like this before. What happened that makes Takuma show up on her doorstep in the middle of the night with such a grave expression on his face?_

_"Where is Kaname?" she demands. It's hard for her to sound confident and not let her own worry sound thru._

_Takuma remains silent for what seems like an eternity. Finally, he speaks._

_"I am not here on Kaname's request," is his answer. In other words, Kaname doesn't know that he's here. "But trust that Kaname anticipates the possibility of my visit tonight," Takuma adds. Of course, he would never do anything against Kaname's will. She's not sure if she should be relieved or more worried. Taking a deep breath, she puts on a neutral face._

_"So why are you here then, Takuma?" Her voice is soft. She's not sure if she wants him to break the news regarding the look on his face but she braces herself anyway._

_His face takes on a slightly sad expression._

_"I am here to wish you farewell, Akane."_

_She doesn't understand right away. He must see the confused look on her face because he quickly adds: "I am leaving the academy and, hence, Kaname's side in order to protect Kaname's and my friendship. A lot of things have happened lately and though I cannot tell you I wanted to come here and… and…" His voice ebbs away while he's closing the distance between them until he stands right in front of her, breaking thru her bubble._

_That's a lot to take in. She tries to wrap her mind around what he just said but the fact that he's so close doesn't make it easy for her. His scent is distracting her thoughts and causes them to wander in a completely different direction. She's been harboring feelings for the blond vampire since they met for the first time. He is the only other male vampire besides Kaname that has been visiting her during all these years. First, she believed it being only natural to project her teenage dreams and feelings towards her cousin's best friend but as time passed, the feelings grew deeper and she had to acknowledge that it was more than a calf love. But besides of being polite and amiable towards her, Takuma has never made any indication that he is interested in her beyond that. Until now, to be precise._

_"You look like you have just seen a ghost," Takuma says, slightly amused. He raises his hand to touch her cheek. "And here I thought you would like that." There is a hint of disappointment in his voice but he smiles at her._

_For some reason, she temporarily has forgotten how to form words. It might have something to do with his hand is caressing her cheek, causing her brain to cease thinking altogether. _

_"I… I do… like it," is all she can stammer, her voice coming out as a whisper. Her cheek is on fire now and heat is raging thru her body. Hey, wait a second, a voice pops up in her head, weren't we just talking about him leaving? She shoos it._

_The smile on Takuma's face changes and becomes more subtle, the shades of his eyes grow darker as he moves in even closer. Akane's knees are about to give in but his other hand wraps around her waist, holding her steady._

_Is he really gonna kiss her? The butterflies in her stomach quiver in anticipation. His one hand wanders from her cheek down to her neck, lingering there for awhile, before it pursues its path all the way down to her stomach. When his fingers touch her breast, she almost faints._

_He draws in a sharp breath and grabs her tighter. The other hand wraps around her waist and the next moment, he pulls her up close. Her pliant body molds into his, her breasts pressing against his chest, she can feel his muscles moving underneath his shirt._

_She gasps but before she can even make another sound, swiftly, his lips seal her mouth with a kiss. They feel warm and soft. He lets her get acquainted for a couple of seconds, then his tongue parts her lips and starts exploring. Wouldn't he be holding her, she would certainly sink to the ground. His hands sneak under her shirt, the touch of his fingers on her bare skin adding only more fuel to her fire._

_He never stops kissing her while his hands are roaming over her back, getting to know every inch. Akane feels a strong wave of arousal building up in her. This is happening too fast, the small voice in the back of her head pipes up, but her body chooses to ignore it. The next second, all of this becomes irrelevant anyway because the wave washes over her and takes the last remnants of her sanity with it._

_She kisses him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She wants this so badly, has been waiting for him to kiss, to touch her like that for so many years. For nothing in the world would she be able to stop now. She pushes her tongue into his mouth, tasting him. He lets her, holding her tight all the while she is all over him. Her hands running down his spine. She wants to feel him so she lifts his shirt and pulls it over his head in one quick move, breaking their kiss in the process._

_Now it's his turn to gasp but he quickly regains his composure. He stands absolutely still, enduring her gaze patiently._

_In the moonlight, his skin looks like white marble. In awe, she stares at his naked chest, a masterpiece of well defined muscles. Though she hasn't seen many naked man before, well, ANY man, for that matter, she instinctively knows that she doesn't need any comparison. He's perfect. She always thought that he was skinny but that's not true. He is slim but yet muscular due to the extensive sword training he's been undergoing. Most likely, one can't find a single gram of fat on his entire body. Just below his belly button, a line of blond hair catches her attention. Her eyes trail down to the spot where they vanish beneath his waistband and she wonders if he's blond down there, too. The thought lets her blush deeply and she's feeling a pleasant heat pooling between her legs. Her mouth becomes dry and she swallows. _

_That is when she notices that Takuma's breath is ragged, his chest heaving heavily. She looks up in his face to find him staring at her in such intensity, it sends a jolt thru her whole body. His eyes have taken on a ruby shimmer. The color of his orbs paired with the longing in them awakens something in her she didn't know before it is inside of her. It isn't hunger since she's already taken a blood tablet earlier this night. It is lust for blood, his blood. The revelation almost overwhelms her, letting her sway as her vision gets red._

_Gently, he supports her by taking her arm. _

_"Are you alright?" His voice is a bit shaky. She nods, not able to speak._

_She clings to his arm, feeling the fibers flex under her palm and she looks at him. Since they are about the same height, she doesn't have to crane her neck. His eyes still bear the reddish glow. It's impossible for her to take her eyes off his face which is mirroring her own lust and passion._

_Driven by instinct, she touches his bare chest, earning a small moan from him. Encouraged by his reaction, she lets both hands glide over his torso, marveling at the softness of his skin. Shivers of pleasure ripple thru his body and he makes a choked noise, tilting back his head. She stops and looks at him questioningly._

_He shakes his head._

_"Don't… stop," he says huskily. "Please." The last word is more a rasp than anything else and she barely can hear him._

_She gets bolder, kissing the bend of his neck. Her fangs graze over his sensitive flesh and he stops breathing altogether. Amazed by the power she obviously has over him, her mouth trails a bit further down, leaving hot kisses along the way. She turns to his nipples, taking one between the lips, and starts to suck on it gently while pinching the other with her fingers._

_He moans again, louder this time, and when she slightly bites him, his moan passes into a low growl. He grabs her hips, pulling her close so she has to let go of him. Burying one hand in her hair, he holds her still to kiss her. She almost can hear his control snap while he's taking over and she happily surrenders. His hands linger for a while at the small of her back before they go down, squeezing her buttocks._

_She can feel his arousal pressing against her pubic bone and if it didn't do so already, her brain would go all jell-o right now. The heat between her legs becomes wet, it's like liquid fire is flowing thru her lower body. She's not going to wait any longer, though she doesn't know what it is exactly she's waiting for. Wanting to go slow and fast all at the same time, she lets out a frustrated whimper._

_Without loosening the grip he has on her, Takuma pauses for a moment. Then, his lips leave hers and move slowly to her ear. She shivers when they reach the sensitive spot just behind her ear lobe._

_"Am I hurting you?" he whispers, his breathing ragged. She still doesn't trust her speaking so all she does is shake her head. She places her hands on his chest and her mouth kisses the small pit right above his sternum. Her tongue darts out to take in his taste. It's his turn to shiver and she looks at him. Her vision is still red from the blood lust raging thru her body and it feels like she's soaring._

_He is panting, his eyes closed. When he opens them, she looks into deep red pupils. She can't look away, the promise laying within them is simply irresistible. Like a moth is drawn to the light, she gets even closer to him, the pulsing vein in the bend of his neck suddenly attracts her attention. She can even hear his blood flowing, a soft murmur, calling her seductively. Takuma follows her gaze and the murmur becomes a storm, the noise overwhelmingly loud in her ears. The craving for blood gets stronger and holding back any longer isn't an option any longer. She can feel her fangs protruding, they graze her lower lip._

_Finally, she speaks. Her voice is hoarse and she actually has to force out each word._

_"I want… I need to… bite you."_

_Every second makes it harder for her to restrain herself. How is he able to hold back? The thought crosses her mind but her instincts tell her that his self-restraints aren't in any better shape than hers. He's only better in hiding it. One thread after the other snaps while her body is shaking considerably now._

_His hands grab her shoulders to steady her and, in what she thinks a desperate attempt to reason, he squeezed out the words._

_"We will not be able to stop after this, Akane."_

_Who wants to stop? At this very moment, she makes the decision for him. To the hell with reason, it won't cure the burning in her throat. All she wants is Takuma's blood and everything else comes second. Determination settles in, every sense is now directed to the throbbing vein under the velvety skin of his neck._

_She moves forward, her mouth hovering over his neck. Her hands leeches on to his shoulders, making him gasp in response. He tenses and holds his breath. The air is thick with anticipation, both his and hers. She can smell his lust and excitement, an enticing mix that elevates her senses and makes her susceptible to each of his reactions. His arousal spurs the primal instincts in her, layer for layer has been stripped off her emotions until only raw, powerful lust is left._

_She indulges in the seconds before she finally clamps down on his neck with her fangs, a low growl escaping her throat._

_His blood is the most delicious thing she's ever tasted. It coats her crevices, permeating every single tissue in her body. Nothing can stop her now, she would rip the poor soul who'd walk in on them this very moment into shreds. Takuma is hers completely and the sense of possessiveness surprises her. She didn't know that she's capable of feelings on such a pure, yet primitive level. Drawing deep, she swallows eagerly, the taste of Takuma's blood so sweet on her tongue. His arms holding her steady, he's in and around her, all over her skin and in her head._

_The first thirst recedes and the beast in her is soothed for the time being. She only takes a sip here and there, savoring each and every drop, bathing in his thoughts and emotions. He fell for her the first time he saw her, fantasies of her in his arms - with and without clothing - crossing her inner eye. He thinks she is the most beautiful thing ever walked on the ground of this earth, she sees herself thru his eyes, how his hands touching her naked flesh, slender fingers gently cupping her breasts, his mouth traveling to places she didn't even think of being touched there in that way. The image of his blonde head between her straddled legs burns into her mind and she almost chokes._

_Is he really going to do that to her? The tension in her stomach sends tingly jolts down to her center and she grinds her body against his, restlessly. Though she doesn't want to stop drinking from him, she desperately needs him to touch her, to kiss her like in his fantasies._

_With a last sip, she retracts and the simple act causes her actual physical pain. Will she from now on crave his blood? She wonders and the thought of being separated from him lets her cringe. Quickly, she buries the thread, instead, she decides to savor each and every moment they have. _

_Amazed, Akane watches the small puncture wounds healing fast._

_He sighs deeply, his mouth slightly open, eyes closed._

_"Touch me," she murmurs. "Everywhere."_

_A small smile appears on his lips. He opens his eyes and looks at her, longingly._

_"Your wish is my command." His voice is husky and the underlying message lets the butterflies in her belly go wild, heart leaping in her chest. With one movement, Takuma pulls her shirt over her head and reaches behind her to undo her bra. Cool air flirts with her breasts but the next thing she feels are his fingers touching her pliable flesh, making her nipples instantly grow hard. He cups her breasts with his hands before he bends down to kiss them. _

_"You are truly beautiful," he whispers in absolute adoration._

_She almost looses it right there. To give him easier access, she arches her back while she's holding his head between her hands. She moans in pleasure, pressing even closer against him. He's taking turns now between each of her breasts, gently sucking on the full erected nipples of hers. Then, his mouth travels south, from the valley between her breasts slowly down to her belly button. The sensation gets more intense with every inch he moves his lips further down, she thinks she might break into thousand pieces._

_He unbuttons her pants and pulls them down. She gasps upon the sudden feeling of cool air surrounding her but her inner heat lets her forget where she is the very next moment. She shakes her legs to free herself and kicks her pants away. Takuma is kneeling in front of her now, his mouth dangerously close to her center which is only covered by her panties. Her breath becomes hitched and her hands tangle in his blonde mane._

_"Please, Takuma." She doesn't know exactly what she's asking for but she needs him to do something to ease her inner tension. The vision of his sexual fantasy pops up in her head and sends every bit of self-control which is left inside of her over the edge._

_"Do it, please." Apparently, there's no barrier between her thoughts and spoken words any longer._

_The next second, the panties are gone. His hands grab her hips tightly while he presses his lips upon her clit. She moans, her head falling back. This is heaven. All her nerves seem to come together in this one spot, building a knot of pulsating fire. Waves of pleasure rock her whole body, every single one of them makes her moan into the night sky._

_He starts licking her nub in a slow pace. It's literally killing her. She wants to scream at him to go faster but her brain is all mushed and it seems a whole galaxy is exploding in her head._

_Just when she thinks she can't bear up against the pleasure that is building inside of her, his tongue increases its speed. One hand leaves her hip and sneaks up between her legs, fingers touching her folds, probing her entrance. Her heart is about to jump out of her chest as he inserts one finger. He pulls out only to slowly shove it up her tightness again, all the while he never ceases to lick her most sensitive spot._

_She is positively soaring now. Somewhere, at the fringes of her consciousness, she notices that she still stands naked under the star lit night sky but she couldn't care less. She feels free._

_When his finger hits that special spot inside of her, she suddenly topples over the edge. Her inner walls contract around him, sending waves of pleasure into every corner of her body. The sensations swamp her brain, they transcend the barrier between herself and the air surrounding her, stretching her consciousness until all she feels is bliss. If she makes a sound she can't tell, a glistening light embraces her, sending her into oblivion. Takuma's holding her steady while she leaves her body for a minute. The stars seem so close, she's quite certain she could touch them if she reached out._

_Slowly, Akane comes back into what she senses as distinguished boundaries of herself, heart racing in her chest. She tries to locate her limbs when she realizes that she's not standing any longer. Instead, she's laying on the ground, Takuma hovering over her, his gaze fixed on her face, eyes glowing in the dark. His white chest stands out against the dark night sky, muscles chiseled. Euphoria, lust, desire - all of them are displayed on his face. She looks at him in wonder, as if she's seeing him for the first time. _

_She says the words even before she thinks them._

_"I love you."_

_A smile swirls about his features. "I love you, too."_

_Happiness floods thru her and she pulls his head towards hers until their lips touch. It's a chaste kiss at first but it quickly becomes fiercer as passion takes over. He lowers his weight carefully upon her, pressing his body against her naked figure. Her hands roaming over his back, tracing down his spine until they reach the waistband of his pants. She begins to tug and to pull, impatiently. She fumbles for his belt which isn't easy since his body grinds against hers but somehow, she manages to open it. With another movement, she is able to unbutton his pants, pulling them over his hips all the way down to the hollow of the knee. Finally, she gets her hands on his boxer briefs which meet the same fate as his pants shortly thereafter. _

_She gasps in surprise as his arousal jumps free and touches her entrance for a second. He stiffens, a low groan rumbles in his chest._

_"Akane…" His voice is strained, hardly more than a whisper._

_Her hands reach between them and find his fully erected member. Cautious at first, she puts her fingers around his length, her thumb brushes over his tip. Takuma rests his head on her shoulder, sighing deeply. She can tell that he's holding back, it's in the way his whole body tenses from her touch._

_"Takuma," she whispers seductively, kissing his collar bone and letting go of him. "I want to look at you."_

_He shudders, his hair brushes her cheek, but he follows her wish. Peeling of his remaining clothing, he sits up next to her. Akane gets to her knees in front of him, taking in his sight. There's no other word than perfect to describe what she sees. His muscles are well defined, his skin immaculate. And the most amazing thing above all is that he is hers. The thought fills her with joy._

_He watches her closely, his eyes not missing any of her movements. They are still of a deep red color and she wonders why he hasn't bitten her yet. Slowly, her gaze trails down to his loins and fixes upon his member who looks very ready in his nest of blonde hair. She feels the blood rushing into her cheeks and the tugging between her legs intensifies. Mesmerized, she can't bring herself to avert her eyes, instead, she inches closer and reaches out to touch him._

_When her hand embraces his shaft, Takuma's head falls back and he lets out a moan. His size is considerable but that might be the virgin in her talking. Carefully, she begins to move her hand up and down in a slow pace, gripping him tighter with each stroke. His eyes are closed now and his breath hitched. She watches his chest heaving and knows that his heart is about to jump up his throat. The sounds coming from him fuel her desire to please him and, out of instinct and curiosity, she bends forward to take him into her mouth, her hair flows over his thighs like liquid silk._

_He gives a loud groan and breathes her name. _

_"Akane." _

_With her tongue, she brushes his tip, licking away the bead of moisture which has formed on it. It tastes interesting, a bit musky and leaves faint traces of salt. Takuma moans even louder this time, an almost feral sound which strikes a cord deep down in her, awakening her sexual desires to the fullest._

_His hand entangles with her hair and brushes it aside. She can feel his intense stare upon her, shivers running down her spine. Encouraged by his reaction, she lowers her lips a bit more, always careful not to hurt him with her fangs. His grip on her gets stronger and she gives in to his gentle pressure, taking him in completely. She's burning with desire now, fueled by his ecstasy._

_She starts moving her head up and down in a slow pace, on hand around his member, the other wrapped around his waist to hold him close. She can feel him shudder, his moans getting more intense when he suddenly pulls her head away. Questioningly, she looks up. His face has the most beautiful features she has ever seen. He smiles down at her, his expression exhilarated._

_"I would not last any longer if I let you continue," he explains apologetically._

_"Oh…" She blushes deeply, a strange shyness overcomes her all of a sudden. Before she can think any further about the implications of what he just said, he pulls her up and seals her lips with a kiss. His tongue dances with hers, seduces her and his hands trail down to the small of her back._

_He leans back and she finds herself on top of him, skin on skin, they touch in all the right places and she thinks she might burst from the all the different sensations roaring thru her body. She loves this man, she knew it when she laid eyes on him the first time and the thought of what she's about to do with him right now sends shivers down her spine. Her center aches for another relief, her hips grind at his, making his penis stroke her clit. The friction is almost enough to send her over the edge but Takuma stops her before she looses control by grabbing her hips._

_His voice is rough as gravel when he speaks._

_"Let me be inside you first, will you?" She can only nod because she knows her voice got lost somewhere along the way. His face is just a few inches away, she can see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His eyes have taken on a crimson color by now and she wonders when he is going to bite her. The thought evaporates into thin air when she feels his arousal at her entrance._

_With his hands at her hips holding her still, he thrusts forward, stretching her inch by inch until the tip of his member pushes against her hymen. She has propped herself up and her head falls back. To get a better angle, she arches her back._

_To her frustration, he pauses right there. Her brain can't think of a better way to show her impatience than to let out a desperate whimper but Takuma's grip on her is strong so she has to comply with whatever he has in mind. Oddly enough, that turns her on even more._

_He lifts the upper part of his body so his mouth breaths hot air in her ear. He's shaking considerably now and she can tell that his self-restraint is about to crumble._

_"Come closer, my lover," he purrs._

_She does as she is told, following him down. He kisses her ear lobe, licks the bend of her neck and places kisses on the trail where her vein runs beneath her skin. Her heart is racing now and when she feels his fangs grazing over her skin, she holds her breath._

_He makes a noise, half moan, half grunt. She knows that his self-control just snapped and tenses up. But before she can form another thought, he pushes thru her maidenhead and his fangs penetrate her skin at the same time. She cries out loud in both pain and pleasure while he holds her firmly with his fangs and hands, not letting her buck her hips nor move her head. He refrains from burying himself in her up to the hilt, a cry suffocating in his throat._

_God knows how many nights she's spent, sleepless in her bed, wondering how this moment would be. But not even in her boldest dreams she has imagined it to be this sensational. Her heart overflows with joy and love for the gorgeous vampire who lays beneath her. _

_Gradually, she's adjusting to his size. The burning pain from where he took her virginity, ceases slowly, making place for more pleasurable sensations. There seems to be a direct connection between her center and the vein at her neck. Every pull of blood he takes results in a very intense contraction down there._

_"Takuma, please!" She desperately wants to move him! Or let her move by herself, she doesn't care as long as he eases his grip. He has to hear her!_

_Instead, he continues to take deep pulls from her vein, little sounds of pleasure emanating from his throat. The pain she felt upon his erection penetrating her is completely gone and she's very aware of him being inside her. HIs member throbs, sending small waves of bliss thru her core. She's so close, she can already see the glistening light dancing at the other side of the edge, calling her, its tentacles reach out and set her on fire until she moans deeply, pleading with all she has left._

_"Release… me!"_

_He lets go of her and retracts his fangs. Finally able to move freely, she props up and lets herself fall down on his entire length. It's almost too much to bear, even without moving but her instincts take over, urging her to move. The friction is a sweet torture. Her hips move relentlessly now, supported by one of his hands. The other moves across her stomach, pressing a thumb against her clit. Colors explode behind her eyes as the orgasm hits but this time, she doesn't let herself get carried away completely. As her walls contract around him, she looks into his face. His eyes are closed, his mouth slightly open. He bucks his hips, sending more jolts of pleasure thru her before his own climax washes over him. She collapses upon him with a sigh, cradling Takuma's head while he goes thru the last spasms of pleasure._

_For a couple of minutes, they simply lay there, enjoying the sensations which a climax brings. Akane can still feel his blood in her, a constant flow of thoughts and emotions cursing thru her body. It is almost as if she's missed some piece of her all the time but now, she's finally complete. She can't think of a better place to be than in Takuma's arms._

_His hands stroke her head and back, soothing her inner fire. Slowly, other impressions appear on the verge of her consciousness, wind whispering, leaves rustling. She suddenly realizes where they actually are. And that they both are naked. Takuma must have sensed her uneasiness since he moves his head a bit. Then, she hears him chuckle in her hair, his chest is rumbling underneath her._

_"I assume you want to go inside?" She can see him smile thru his voice and she starts somewhat laughing on her own, nodding in response._

_"Yes, I would like that very much."_

_He lifts himself up with her still wrapped around his waist. They're still connected and she looks down between them, curious. He's really blond all the way and his blondness hair mingles nicely with the dark red of her own. Now, that she can see his still half erected member is inside her, it makes her flustered and excited all over. Desire rises up in her again and she wonders if they will resume where they left off a few minutes ago once they're inside._

_Takuma's chest is humming with pleasure. His voice is deep and rich._

_"How about a second course?'_

_They rise to their feet and he scoops her up. She gasps in surprise as he cradles her in his arms. Despite his slender physique, he's strong and she finds herself smiling against his shoulder._

_He carries her back to the cabin, kicking the door open with his feet._

**Ok, I'm making a break here. The next chapter will be in Akane's POV as well before Kain comes back. Reviews are highly welcome!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Akane scolded herself for being so stupid and allowing herself to remember the night she had spent with Takuma. The memories had not only brought back pleasure but, most of all, also pain. After he had gone, she had thought she would have to die from the deprivation of his touch and, more important, of his blood. She had never imagined it to be that physically painful.

Before that, she had mostly lived on blood tablets. Her father had taught her though how to use her fangs and how to drain blood from another being but after he died, her nanny hadn't endorsed this kind of sustainment any longer. Akane couldn't say that she had missed anything except for the fact that the tablets tasted nothing like the real thing but she wasn't one to complain. It had been just another form of food and she hadn't given it much thought.

Only that circumstances had changed dramatically after she had had Takuma's blood. The first days if not weeks had been a nightmare. She had been constantly hungry, the kind of hunger that had burned her intestines, threatening to eat her alive. But it wasn't something that could be cured with tablets, it went much deeper, affected her soul as well. It had been impossible to escape the images of him, beautiful in his desire for her, in her head and there had been no place to hide from the haunting thirst.

Looking back at this time, she didn't know how she had survived but she had managed somehow. She had been grateful that Kaname hadn't come to visit her during the first days, whether it had been out of courtesy or simply due to the fact that he had been occupied with other things, it hadn't made a difference. All that had mattered to her had been that he wouldn't see her like that.

When he had shown up eventually, she had been able to stand on her feet without swaying and the raging thirst had receded just enough for her to conceal it.

_…_  
><em>A couple of days ago, Kaname sent a messenger to announce his visit. She has prepared meticulously for it, determined not to let show the turmoil she's been in recently. The house looks spotless as does the yard around the house, a result of her attempt to distract herself from the thirst. She can't deny that, deep inside, she's hoping for Takuma to accompany his best friend but she knows that the possibility for that to happen is close to zero. The sole thought of the blonde vampire awakens her thirst again so she wills it down.<em>

_There's a sudden shift in the atmosphere, announcing the approach of Kaname. As usual, he doesn't conceal his presence from her but she knows that he is able to. Kaname always maintains a certain level of courtesy towards her._

_Now, she steps out of the door with her head held high to greet her cousin. He's dressed casually, the upper buttons of his coat open. The wind is playing with his dark curls. He looks weary but satisfied. Her heart sinks when she doesn't see Takuma around but she shakes it off quickly, ignoring the sting in her chest._

_"Kaname." It's her birth right to address him by first name only. She bows her head slightly to show good will._

_He stops in front of her, responding to her greeting._

_"Akane." His eyes examine her closely and she calmly endures his stare, hoping that the last days haven't left any marks on her face. After a couple of seconds which seem to stretch endlessly, he moves on, apparently unphased. If he knows anything, he doesn't give himself away. From what she can tell, he is not angry at her, it's more what she would call slightly curious. But she's determined not to bring up the topic since she's not sure how well she can handle to speak about Takuma. It's being hard enough for her as it is._

_"It seems that you have been quite laborious." He gestures to the yard which indeed looks neat._

_She ignores his attempt to get to her and, instead, returns his look coolly._

_"What brings me the honor of your visit, Kaname?"_

_"I have matters I would like to discuss with you. Shall we go inside?"_

_Stepping aside, she lets him in and then follows her cousin into the house. She has prepared tea, well knowing he likes it. _  
><em>…<em>

Once they had sat down, Kaname had filled her in the events which happened at the academy. Yuuki being a pureblood vampire and his fiance. Akane barely had paid attention since the girl had not mattered to her back then. All she had heard from her until this point had made her think that she was a high maintenance teenager who only had caused trouble so far. And she honestly had her doubts that it would be any different now that she was a pureblood. But she had bitten her tongue, being aware of Kaname's feelings for her.

When he had come to the part where he told her about her father and how he had risen from the dead only to be killed by Zero in the process, she had clenched her fists under the table to restrain herself. She understood that her father had done unspeakable things but she would have given anything for seeing him one last time. Kaname had taken that away from her high-handedly.

She still wondered how she had managed to stay calm during the exchange.

_…_  
><em>Sipping his tea, he eyes her carefully over the rim of his teacup. He puts it down.<em>

_"I understand that this must be hard for you." His voice is even as ever but his eyes look serious._

_Akane suppresses the urge to jump his throat and shove his pretentiousness up his royal ass. Shocked by her own thoughts, she looks down, taking in a hissed breath. Even if she managed to attack him, Kaname would rip her to shreds in a matter of seconds. And she prefers to live. Besides, it is not that it would change anything. Her anger is the anger of the little girl inside her, the girl who misses her father dearly. She's probably the only person on this godforsaken earth who ever shared happy moments with Rido Kuran. The rest of the vampire society is going most likely to congratulate Kaname for disposing of him. _

_She swallows hard, facing the truth. Her father was cruel towards others and her existence is the proof that he also was a lascivious and self-centered man. Although she has been grieving over the loss of him as a father, she can't deny the facts. Even her own mother hates him enough that she abandoned her daughter just because of the Kuran features she bears._

_She has no other choice than to follow Kaname. The alternative is to live as an outsider for the rest of her life which would be an eternity - if she's about to live at all then. Not that she minds to be alone but she has never felt lonely before. The only thing which makes her hesitating is that she doesn't want to be at Kaname's mercy, she wants to acknowledge him as the leader he is because of her free will to do so._

_But above all, there's one thing that hurts the most. Why didn't her father try to contact her during all those years? Even if he was not capable of command a body of his own, he could have always sent someone to let her know that he's still alive. She is his daughter after all. He cared for her when she was a a child and like every little girl, she adored her father unconditionally. The loss of him already struck her deeply once but the fact that he didn't come to see her although he could have cuts even deeper._

_All the while, Kaname has been watching her in silence, patiently. She knows that he is waiting for her to say something, his stare is intense enough to see right thru her, examining every single thought that is crossing her mind. It makes her wanting to cringe but she manages to keep up her composure. Instead, she takes in a deep breath in order to prepare herself to meet his eyes._

_She looks up. He is still in the same position he was in a few moments ago. The expression on his face is unreadable, the aura of unmeasurable power ensheathes him. Any other vampire, by now, would have flinched at least but his powers don't affect her in the same way they affect lesser members of her race. She is a pureblood and, more importantly, she shares his blood. Therefore, his powers bounce off her, leaving her untouched. Nonetheless, she has absolutely no doubt that he is able to kill her in a blink._

_This is a dangerous moment. Kaname wants her to pledge allegiance to him and the longer she waits, the more upset he gets. She can feel it in how the air begins to stir around him, though he seems to be perfectly calm from the outside. He will not be lenient towards her if she chooses to refuse him her loyalty. Dear Lord, the first time in her life she wishes she inherited more of her father's attitude to beat him off but she didn't and so she makes her decision. She only hopes that her voice will be steady enough to not let her seem weak._

_"You did what you had to do, cousin." That is all she can give at the moment and she prays that it will satisfy him._

_She wouldn't go that far and say that he looks happy but he visibly relaxes upon her words, the tension around him dissipates with an almost audible puff. His features soften the tiniest bit, dark eyes gazing at her._

_"I am glad that you see it that way, cousin." He responds with unexpected kindness and she releases the breath she's been holding. Only a few seconds ago, he tried to threaten her by displaying his powers openly. But now, the aura of lethal determination was completely gone and he is sitting opposite to her as if the last minutes never happened. She will never get used to his mood shifts. At least this time, he didn't break anything around the house._

_He moves on to small talk, she politely complies, knowing that it won't be long now before he gets up and apologizes that he has to leave so soon. _

_After he has left, she closes her door and leans with her back against it. Slowly, she lets herself down until she sits on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees. As her own tension subsides, tears make their way out, streaming down her cheeks. The wolves who have been hiding all the time come out. She feels their confusion and wipes her tears away. The animals move closer, soft fur pressing against her calves. The touch soothes her agitated emotions._  
><em>…<em>

She had been torn then and she still was. But no matter how many times she had mulled it over, she couldn't bring herself to hate her cousin. He himself had suffered a great deal from the things her father had done to him. Admittedly, she wouldn't go that far to say that she was fond of Kaname but over the years she had come to terms with him. At least most of the time.

It had been that same night when she had decided to give Kaname a chance. She had hoped that it would benefit the healing process from the loss she had suffered. But some wounds never seemed to heal completely and despite all efforts, she had found it difficult to put the events and the emotions attached to those to rest. They would reappear from time to time, messing with her mind. Until now, she had managed to cope, to fight them back into the hole they had come from and to move on. Over time, she had gotten more skilled and she wasn't dreading them not so much anymore.

But tonight was different. The memories were coming unfiltered, almost as if they'd happened just yesterday and not two years ago. She wondered why that was. The last couple of days had interrupted her routine, no doubt. A couple of months ago, when Kaname had first approached her and filled her in about what was going on in the small town on the other side of the mountains, she had been reluctant to get involved. But she had soon come to the conclusion that there wouldn't be a way around if she ever wanted to be a part of the Kuran family.

So, eventually, she had given in his request to spy on the hunters. In her very opinion, she thought that there could never be peace between humans and vampires but she was smart enough to keep it to herself. She didn't despise humans but she didn't care much for them either. However, the hunters were a completely different story. An organization which purpose was solely to control and kill was suspicious to her and she would bet everything she had that they were up to no good.

When it had become evident that she alone couldn't find out anything, Kaname had agreed to send help. The quarters had been heavily guarded from the beginning, but lately, activities had been increasing. She had been noticing trucks bringing supplies or picking up boxes more frequently so she assumed that something was up. And whatever it was, it looked like they were wrapping it up. She knew that Kaname was furious about the fact that he didn't know what the hunters were doing out there so he had decided to send Akatsuki Kain.

Part of her request had been that Kaname wouldn't disclose her heritage. Akane hadn't wanted the vampire who had been sent to help her to know that Rido Kuran was her father. She had to decide by herself if she trusted him enough to let him in the truth. Kaname hadn't said anything, just looking at her oddly when she had made her request but, eventually, he had given in.

She had found herself to be curious about the vampire who she knew from conversations with her cousin to be his right hand. Since Takuma had been gone, Kaname had never brought someone else here, not even Yuuki, his beloved fiance. So she had sent out Chiko the night Akatsuki had been due. The wolf would be a proper escort and guide her visitor safely thru the woods.

_…_  
><em>"Bring him here safely." The big wolf barks in response and sets off. Chichi, the female, is yowling but Akane doesn't want her to go with her brother. Her disposition is still too delicate due to a recent injury and the long run would stress her paw too much. She stepped on a bee a couple of weeks ago and got a bad infection afterwards. Akane had almost given up hope but then, after long days of fearing for the wolf's life, Chichi finally fought it off. She truly is a fighter, Akane thinks, smiling gently towards the wolf.<em>

_During those days, Akane felt the pain and distress of the female as if it was her own, a troubling experience. The connection they shared has been growing stronger over the last couple of months. She's always been closer to Chichi than to Chiko but the last weeks have brought them even closer together. Sensing her thoughts, the female presses her muzzle into Akane's hand._

_The bond between Akane and the two wolves has been evolving into a state of constant connection, there is a permanent presence of two minds in her head now. It is neither disabling nor troubling, it is more like a buzzing that rises and recedes just like the flood, a soothing noise that comforts her. What began as a diffuse feeling of two life forms, has now developed into a fully settled bond, enabling her to experience what their companions are going thru._

_While Akane is more emotionally attached to Chichi, her bond with Chiko is of a different nature. Their level of connection is more physical, allowing her to access his vision and sense of smell. Only, she hasn't been exploring it as thoroughly as she's been doing with Chichi. So tonight is an excellent opportunity to practice._

_Though the mind of an animal is different from that of a vampire when it comes to sophistication and codes of moral conduct, both are alike in other regards. Like wolves, vampires have strong instincts and are vicious fighters to protect their own. They are loyal to their masters to an extent that surpasses the mortal human mind. If they sense weakness in their enemies they don't hesitate to attack mercilessly._

_Akane goes back into the house, taking Chichi with her. It's chilly and the female certainly wants to lay in front of the fireplace. She briefly thinks about preparing a meal but drops the idea quickly since her cooking skills are limited, average at best. They'll have to deal with it once Akatsuki Kain has arrived, and maybe he won't be hungry at all. The bathroom could use a bit attention so she pulls out the cleaning supplies from under the sink, goes to the tiny room which holds just enough space for one person and starts scrubbing._

_Doing her chores is always a good time to let her thoughts wander and her mind immediately attends to the matter at hand, the arrival of the vampire that is said to be Kaname's right hand. Since Takuma has gone, she hasn't seen anybody else than her cousin. Takuma - the thought of him is followed suit by the familiar sting in her heart and she shoos the picture of the man she misses so dearly out of her head._

_Kaname hasn't told her much about Akatsuki Kain, only that he is a level headed man who is capable of taking care of himself and others. As she understands, he is a indispensable member of the Kuran faction and, therefore, the logical choice for this mission. She has gotten Kaname's permission to fill him in every detail she deems necessary and her cousin has made it very clear that they are operating within a tight schedule._

_She is still harboring some concerns regarding how fast she has been drawn into this, starting out as a sole observer but quickly becoming an essential part of the team. She doesn't have any experience whatsoever in this kind of task and she's barely getting by. Kaname hasn't given her any time to adjust and she had to learn quickly. When it comes to the hunter's association and its secretiveness, he doesn't take his chances. And she can't blame him. Akane has been raised with a deep mistrust towards hunters, her late father had hated them passionately, always saying that these people were a disgrace for human mankind. Not that he had cared much about humans either but he had often told her that he would have killed all hunters already if the opportunity had presented itself._

_The bathtub looks spotless by now and Akane steers her attention towards the floor. She gets the dustpan and broom from the small closet next to the door._

_Minutes, then hours pass by and by now, she's sitting with Chichi in front of the fireplace when suddenly the buzzing of Chiko's mind in her head rises. Obviously, the wolf has found her aide. It won't be long from now until they arrive._  
><em>…<em>

When Chiko had finally arrived with Akatsuki on his coat-tails, Akane and Chichi had already been standing outside the cottage to greet them. The wolf had emerged first, in an elegantly light trot, followed by Akatsuki who, not used to the rocky terrain, had been a couple of feet behind.

Dressed in dark colors, the thing that had stood out the most, were his reddish brown hair, flickering like a torch. Chiko had waited but as soon as the vampire had arrived on top of the small plateau where the cabin was, the wolf had trotted back to the house where Akane and Chichi had been waiting.

Akatsuki had closed the distance quickly, with the same grace that was inhabitant to all vampires. He was tall, maybe even taller than Kaname, broad-shouldered and his physique was muscular. His face was handsome. When he had come to a halt a couple in front of her, she had noticed the sadness and pain that his eyes bore immediately. One could easily mistaken it for mellowness but she had known better the instant she had looked at him because she had seen this expression so many times before, looking at her own reflection in the mirror. He was hurting just like her. There was also a hint of anger, hidden behind the amber orbs but not well enough for her to detect it.

She had connected to him almost instantly. Before she had been able to stop herself, her mind had reached out, brushing against his consciousness in curiosity, leaving a tingling sensation on her skin. Surprised by her own capabilities, she had let it happen. The wall around him was impermeable, a stronghold. He must have spent years to build it around him and that very moment she had wondered what or who had hurt him so badly.

Quickly, she had regained her composure to greet him, smiling genuinely at him. She hadn't want him to be intimidated on the very first moment they met.

This was new, she hadn't been able to feel other minds besides those of Chichi and Chiko before. But then, given the circumstances that she had been living alone up here, she didn't have any reference. Kaname didn't count since she suspected him to always shield himself from her in some way or another. Or, maybe, Akatsuki was especially susceptible to her gift. Anyway, she would have to be cautious from now on until she had learned more about her ability and how to control it around other vampires.

Later that night, in a moment where she had caught him off guard, she had been able to get past his defenses and glimpse into his head. When he had lost consciousness and almost pulled her with him into the abyss, she had barely managed to break the connection, the hold he had gotten on her had been exceptionally strong. She had freaked out then but Akatsuki hadn't hesitated to bring her back into the moment. Amazingly enough, he hadn't been afraid of her.

After the first shock had passed, she had learned quickly that she could control her powers, at least with Akatsuki around. Something about him made her relax and she couldn't explain it but she wanted to be near him.

When he had followed her to the cave, she remembered her heart making a leap out of pure excitement. She shook her head. This was silly. She was Takuma's. However, at the same time, a small voice in the back of head kept saying that Takuma was gone while Akatsuki was here. They had kissed, with him initiating the kiss. She had been surprised and wanted to draw back at first but her resolve had melted in a matter of seconds, his warm mouth on hers. She had felt his heat and his passion underneath the surface. If it hadn't been for the things she had needed to tell him, she wondered if she would have been able to stop after the kiss.

Her mouth went dry and she swallowed, reigning in her desire. There was no logical explanation for her behavior other than that she had been too long without physical contact. She had opened that door the night she and Takuma had made love. Over the last two years, she had been been trying to shut it close again but tonight, she had to admit that she absolutely couldn't no matter how hard she tried. The emotions had been too intense and enticing to lock them away for good, they were forever burned in her memory.

Maybe she felt drawn to Akatsuki because he was hurting, too. When she had looked into his head, she had heard one name loud and clear: Ruka. There was no doubt that she was the reason for his suffering. Whatever it was that bound him to this woman, it was something that caused pain. She could definitely tell that he loved her but from the way he was shielding himself Akane was almost positive that the girl didn't reciprocate his feelings for her. How could she not love him back?

Stupid girl, Akane thought to herself.

She was still standing in the kitchen, deep in thoughts, when her attention was drawn to Chiko. The sequence of his presence in her head changed to a buzzing staccato, alarming her instantly. Something was going on and it surely wasn't good.

To better concentrate on the buzzing in her head, she put both her hands up to her temples, trying to make the connection back to Chiko.

But the wolf was hard to get. Just when she thought she had locked her mind with his, he slipped away as if he was being too occupied to react to her attempt to initiate the bond.

She cursed silently, squeezing her eyes shut. She had never had this trouble before, even though the bond with Chiko was weaker.

All she got, was a diffuse stream of pictures and random noises. With another effort, she concentrated harder and she almost heard the click in her head when she locked minds with the wolf.

It was dark. Apparently, they were in the woods, leaves rustling beneath paws. He was chasing someone, the person's smell leaving a trail right in front of his nose. She could feel Chiko's excitement, his heart beat accelerated, a growl rising in his chest. The person was only a couple of feet away, a white blurry figure. A woman? She couldn't be sure but when the wolf caught up, she could hear the breathing noise. Yes, definitely a woman. Before she could vanish into thick barrier of bushes, Akane saw a ray of moonlight being reflected from something the woman was holding in her hand.

A knife. She had a knife. In panic, Akane tried to pedal backwards but the momentum Chiko had gained thru the speed was too big. In the back of her head, she noticed that she had fallen on the floor, struggling to bring the wolf to a halt. Without slowing down, the wolf rushed after the woman. On the other side, he landed on a small clearing, not bigger than a couple of square feet.

Out of the corner of the wolf's eye, Akane saw a white streak, closing in fast. Her heart almost stopped beating when she saw the blade in the woman's hand. Akane desperately tried to yank Chiko out of harm's way but the wolf had gone into battle mode, with no intention of retreating. He lounged at the woman in one big leap, teeth bleak, growling. Fangs ripped into flesh, the coppery taste of blood on her tongue. The woman cried in shock, leashing out with the hand that was holding the blade.

The very next second, a searing pain in her left shoulder knocked the air out of her lungs. Chiko yowled in pain, landing hard on the ground, not able to move. The pain almost rendered her unconscious but she managed to hang on by a thread. The scent of her blood permeated the air and she looked down at herself, terrified, to see her shirt soaked with the red liquid where her left shoulder was.

Chiko was alive, though severely wounded. She could feel his heartbeat, breath heavy. Where was Akatsuki? In a last effort, she crawled out of her kitchen. She didn't come far, the pain was too strong, her left arm numb by now. Still loosing blood, Akane could feel the darkness closing in, her vision grew darker around the edges with every second.

Outside, she heard Chichi scratching at the door, frantically. It was to no avail, Akane was completely immobilized from pain by now.

"Go, get Akatsuki", she whispered before the darkness took her in.

**Actually, I was going to cover a lot more in this chapter but I didn't want to let you wait :-) Next chapter will be Akatsuki again though. Oh, and before I forget, kindly leave a review, I'm dying to hear/read your thoughts!**


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter is from Akatsuki's POV. Timeline wise, the last two chapters happened while he was away with Chiko. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

He had no idea for how long they'd been running but at some point, he stopped in his tracks, turning around to look for the woman with the scarred face. She was behind but not as much as he'd expected her to be. Her constitution was surprisingly strong.

After a couple of moments, she came to a halt next to him, panting heavily with hands on her knees.

"We should rest here for awhile", he said, adding: "I also need to check the wolf's bandage."

She was still catching her breath so she simply nodded, glancing at the wolf in his arms, guilt on her face.

He ignored her, it wasn't his duty to console her. Given, she had acted out of self-defense but that was about it.

Carefully, he put the wolf down so he wouldn't add to his pain. The bandage was still in place, firmly wrapped around the wolf's chest and shoulder, and the bleeding had stopped, apparently. He couldn't see any fresh blood which was good.

Since they had a couple of minutes to rest, he sat down next to the animal, legs crossed. The chilly breeze reminded him that he wasn't wearing a shirt. But he didn't worry about it too much. They would be moving again soon and until then, he could tolerate the cold.

He thought about the situation. For now, they had managed to get away from the soldiers but he wasn't sure for how long. Eventually, the fire would cease and the guards would find their trail. It wouldn't take more than a day or two for the blood hounds to pick up their scent and follow them. They had to get back to the cabin as quickly as possible and then move on since the cabin wasn't safe anymore either.

They would go back to the Kuran mansion, it was the only place Kain could think of. And, needless to say, he had completed the mission. Kaname's orders had been clear: to get the woman and come back. He had done exactly that, the only thing was that he would have to bring Akane and the wolves as well. Akane would raise quite a stir, that he was sure of, but he couldn't leave her to deal with the hunters all by herself.

The mansion was a big house which sat remotely in the middle of hills and woods. It would be even possible to bring Akane in without raising much suspicion amongst the others, at least as little suspicion one could raise since the other vampires would sense her presence. He didn't expect them to ask any questions though. There would be speculations, yes, he could already hear Hanabusa's gossip, but the topic wouldn't be addressed openly.

So if Akane wished to stay unseen, arrangements could be made to comply with her request.

He pet the wolf's head and stood up. The woman sat a couple of feet away from them in the grass.

"We should get going. It won't be long now." She looked at him, wearily, but nodded. He hoped that she had enough strength left to run the remaining distance with him.

-

When they neared the cabin after another hour or so, a bad feeling settled in his stomach. He couldn't quite identify what had triggered it but it surely wasn't good. Extending his vampire senses to pick up any unusual activity, he slowed down. The woman caught up after a few seconds and he signaled her to do so as well.

It was eerily quiet in the woods around the house. It almost seemed as if somebody had put a dampening cloth over it, even the stars in the night sky didn't shine that brightly as they had done a couple of minutes ago. His nostrils flared and he identified the smell of blood instantly. It was Akane's blood, no doubt. His stomach sank even more. What if the hunters had found her? What if they had only waited for a good opportunity to attack? Even as a pureblood, there were weapons out there that could seriously wound or kill them.

If anything had happened to her, he would never forgive himself. It didn't take a second to make a decision.

Regardless how dangerous it might be, he needed to get to Akane as quickly as possible. He weighed his options. Chiko was wounded so it would be best to leave him here. The wolf seemed to be feeling better, the wound had looked worse than it actually was, thank God. But he still wasn't capable of moving by himself so he only would slow him down or impair is ability to fight if necessary. The woman was a whole other story. Kain couldn't assess her at all since she was human. He always had trouble reading them correctly since they appeared to be irrational and unstable to him a good amount of the time. To him, humans lacked a great deal of instinct.

Apparently, the woman was scared to death of the hunters that she had chosen to go with him and the wolf. She had keep up quite well during their run back, something he hadn't expected. The question was, could he trust her enough to leave her here with the wolf? Well, there was only one way to find out.

Suddenly, he heard some rustling coming from the woods in front of him. He quickly retreated behind a group of bushes a couple of feet away to his left, putting Chiko on the ground. The woman who was still trying to catch her breath, simply stood there, staring in the direction from where the noise came. Kain jumped out and pulled her into the cover. He mouthed to her to be silent. She only stared back at him, eyes wide with fear. Kain knew that she was about to loose it any second now and that was the least thing he wanted to deal with.

His heart was about to leap out of his throat, all his senses were directed to who or what was coming towards them.

As the noise came closer he peeked around the edge of the small thicket, only to see Chichi emerging from between the trees. He released his breath and got up.

"Jesus, you just scared us", he said to the wolf. As soon as Chichi spotted him, she started barking wildly, running back and forth.

Kain approached the female, not without talking to her calmingly.

"Hey, it's alright. Calm down. Where is Akane?" When the wolf heard her master's name, the barking became a whining. She circled him, nudging him with her nose as if she wanted him to move in a certain direction.

Obviously, there was something wrong with Akane, the wolf's behavior was a good indicator. Otherwise, Akane would be here, too, wouldn't she? His heart sank and he felt the vice like grip of panic in his neck. He shook it off, it wouldn't be any help if he let fear take over. He only hoped that it wouldn't be too late.

Kain raised his hands.

"Ok, ok, I got it. I will come with you." He pet the wolf's head gently and turned to the woman who was still hiding behind the bushes.

"Come out."

It took her a second or two but she came out eventually, standing there with her hands folded in front of her. She looked frightened. Behind him, Chichi gave a low growl.

He didn't have the time to explain everything, he just needed to get thru to her, making her obey his orders.

"You will wait here with the wolf until I'm back to get the both of you. Stay exactly where you are and no harm will come to you." He spoke firmly, looking her directly in the eyes.

"Do you understand?"

The woman nodded, her gaze still fixed on him. She looked pale. Kain wasn't so sure anymore if it would be a good idea to leave her alone like this but he didn't have a choice.

"Chichi." The female barked, wagging her tail. He bent down, taking her head between his hands. Was he really going to talk to the animal? He sighed, shoving his doubts aside. He had seen Akane communicating verbally with both wolves and they seemed to be quite understanding. All he had to do was to give simple instructions. It would work, he assured himself, it simply had to.

"Stay here, watch the woman and your brother until I come back."

The wolf whined and stomped her paws, pulling him into the direction of the cabin.

"No", he said firmly. "You will stay here and I go check on your master." More whining this time, but the pulling stopped.

"Good girl." He pet her again and stood up.

Without another word, he set off. Now, that nothing held him back, he ran as fast as he could to the cabin. All the while, he imagined the things that could have happened and every single one of it didn't ease the bad feeling he'd been carrying since he smelled Akane's blood.

Not before long, he reached the ridge of the clearing. Since he didn't want to encounter any surprises, he slowed down, listening into the night. It was still unnaturally quiet so if there was anybody out there he would have heard them by now. He could already see the small house thru the trees. It sat there, peacefully, not disclosing anything that had happened in the last couple of hours.

He braced himself and started moving towards the house, the tightness in his chest growing.

The smell of Akane's blood got stronger with every step. He fought down the nauseous feeling that began to settle in his stomach. The presence of pureblood's blood could be overwhelming to lesser vampires and Akane's was no exception. At the same time, he hadn't had the urge to flee when he had been near her because she didn't make him suffocate the way Kaname always did. Kain wondered why Akane was so different that he had mistaken her for a noble vampire at first.

Approaching the house, he only hoped that it wouldn't be too late for him to find out. The mere thought of the possibility of her death made the lump in his throat grow even bigger, constricting his pipes. Fighting down the urge to panic, he wheezed in a breath.

All of a sudden, he had the distinct feeling that someone was calling out to him. It was almost if something got an invisible pull at his mind, causing his thoughts being directed in a particular direction.

"Akane?" His voice was barely a whisper. A shiver went down his spine and he hurried to cover to remaining distance.

He took the steps up to the door in one leap, not bothering to knock. He simply forced it open with his momentum, barely registering the splintering of wood. This would need to get repaired - the thought crossed his mind briefly but vanished as quickly as it had emerged.

The smell of blood was so thick that it felt as if he had just smashed into a physical wall. He stumbled two steps back before he could regain control over his senses. Behind him, cool fresh air streamed into the room, thinning out the air and making it easier to breathe for him.

The room was dark except for the flickering remains in the fireplace. He couldn't see any sign of intrusion, everything looked quite the same as when he had left earlier this night.

The next second or so seemed to stretch endlessly when his eyes roamed thru the room, looking for Akane. He heard feet shuffling from his left.

"Akatsuki…" His heart skipped a beat at the tone of her voice. He turned around to see her standing next to the kitchen counter. Even now, with all the worry and fear that filled his heart, he was struck by her beauty. Relief spread thru him, he could literally hear the load falling off his chest. She looked agonized and shaky but, Jesus, was he happy to see that she was sound.

"Where is your shirt, Akatsuki?" His shirt? He looked at her, incredulously, only to notice that she was holding on by a threat. While his mind still thought about what to answer, his instincts reacted faster. The next second, he was at her side, catching her before she could fall.

She reeked of blood, it was all over her. God, she must have lost quite a bit. Being exposed to her blood in such a close proximity almost floored him and he all but dropped her. The smell blinded his senses completely, flooding his taste buds with the most alluring promise. It was right there in front of him, he only had to take it. She was so close, he could feel her body thru the fabric of her shirt pressing against his naked chest. His vision reddened.

The deafening sound of his blood cursing thru his veins suddenly got mixed with her small sobs of agony. He froze. Akane was in pain. He looked down at her, still in his arms. She was barely conscious but looking at him directly.

"You… are… hurting me." She forced out the words but they weren't more than a whisper. It was right then when he noticed that he was about to smash her upper arm with his hand.

It was as if someone emptied a bucket of cold water upon his head, causing the bloodlust to recede as quickly as it had come. In three long strides, he was over at the couch with her, putting her down gently. He was such an idiot, how could he let himself get carried away?

"Oh my God, I didn't mean to… Are you ok?" His hands quickly feel their way over her face and the rest of her body, checking for injuries. When he touched her shoulder, she flinched. He stopped immediately.

"There?"

She nodded, drawing in a sharp breath.

The blood on her shirt was almost dried off and without looking at the wound directly, there was no way to tell how bad it actually was. But he didn't want to hurt her more than necessary. If she made it until here she would be fine. Trying to steady his heart beat, he inhaled deeply and released the breath a couple of seconds later. He buried his face in his hands, rubbing his cheeks, before he ran his fingers thru his hair.

Her hand caught his wrist, making him look her in the eyes. They are dark with a purple glow. She tried a smile but failed.

"It has already healed… but it still hurts…" Her voice cracked.

Gently, he pushed strands of her hair aside, out of her face. His fingertips caressed her cheeks and temples. The flickering of the fireplace gave her features a warm glow.

"What happened to you, Akane?" He spoke softly now, never ceasing to touch her.

She shook her head.

"I… I do not… know." She swallowed. "I was in the kitchen… when it happened." She paused again.

Then, suddenly, her eyes got wide. She propped herself up, biting back the pain.

"Where is Chiko?" She pressed out the words, her face contorted by pain. He realized that she probably knew already that the wolf was injured due to the connection they both shared with each other. She must have been sick with worry.

He tried to push her back but she resisted.

"He will live." And so will you, thank God, he silently added to himself. "He's still out there, guarded by Chichi. If you promise to lay back down I will go and get them."

Finally, she gave in and sank back into the cushions. "Yes… I promise…"

Kain saw that she was having trouble speaking. She looked pale and weary, maybe the blood loss took its toll after all. All other things they needed to talk about could wait until he was back. He had to get the wolves and the woman first. After all, they didn't have much time with the guards on their heels and it was bad enough with a wounded wolf and a woman that would slow them down enough.

"Get some rest." He smiled at her reassuringly, one hand on her cheek. "I'll be back soon."

He stood up and turned around when he felt her fingers circling around his wrist. He looked down at her, questioningly. This time, there was a small smile on her lips that woke up a bunch of butterflies in his belly.

"Please put on a shirt, will you?" Her eyes gazed over his naked chest and he had to suppress a shudder. He could clearly see the hunger in them. The prospect of being bitten by her dried out his throat and he swallowed.

Kain felt his cheeks becoming hot of embarrassment. Or was it anticipation? Quickly, he turned away to hide his face.

"Where?" It was all he was able to bring out without giving himself away.

"In the drawer… over there." She moaned from the pain.

The sound rattled at his foundation and he closed his eyes, trying to fight back the urge to throw himself to her feet and beg her to take as much blood as she needed. That was if he wanted to get himself killed by Kaname. The pureblood's warning had been clear and he wasn't going to disobey. Besides, the healing powers of a pureblood were unlike any other among vampires and Kain was sure that she would pull thru. At least, he kept saying it to himself in order to exculpate himself that he wasn't going to rush to her side and to pull her into his arms. He already had allowed himself to touch her a minute ago, that would have to suffice.

So instead of giving in to her silent request, he went over to the drawer and got out a fresh shirt from the upper compartment. He noticed that there were a couple of black shirts for men. The shirt was a bit tight around the chest but fine otherwise so he simply buttoned it in the middle. He wondered though to whom those shirts belonged to. Kaname? It wasn't as if she would get many visitors in this part of the woods. But it wasn't any of his business so he abandoned this trail of thoughts the next moment, ignoring the nagging in the back of his mind.

He turned around and went to the door. When he passed the couch, he dared to take a glimpse at her, stopping dead in his tracks from the way she was staring at him. Her eyes were gleaming in the dark, red pools under thick lashes. The sight was so enticing that he couldn't bring himself to avert his gaze.

Her eyes wandered down to his neck and then further down to his chest where the button held the shirt together. It was almost as if she was eating him alive. Her powers reached out to him, brushing against him, looking for a way to get in. Unable to move - he wasn't sure if it was her doing or if he simply want to let her have her way - he indulged himself by watching her beautiful features.

All his defenses were down, she had caught him completely off guard. Since she had been able to get to him once, there wasn't much he could do except for bracing himself for the impact.

But nothing happened.

Her voice was so low, he almost missed that she actually spoke to him.

"Akatsuki, please… go."

He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. And in the first time of his life, he didn't know what to do.

**Ok, folks. I'm making a break here since I'm not so sure if I want him to leave or not. I need to do some thinking - if you want to leave some suggestions of your own, please be my guest :-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**First of all: A Happy New Year to everyone! I apologize for the delay, I actually planned to have this up here over the holidays but what can I say - things got really crazy around here ;-)**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

Akane had released him, he was free to go. And yet, here he was, standing next to the couch, struggling with himself. He knew that she could have simply compelled him to give her his blood but she had chosen not to. She hadn't utilized her powers against him and that fact left him utterly confused.

He believed that it was her right to take his blood, she was a pureblood and as such she was entitled to absolute power. Just as it had been Kaname's right to take Ruka's blood that night a couple of years ago. It didn't mean that he approved but those were the rules and who was he to stand up against them.

He would lie though if he said that this didn't affect him. But he had made his decision a long time ago that he would stand by Ruka no matter what. He had endured endless embarrassments and her resentful behavior towards him. She had pushed him away so many times and still he would do the same thing over and over again. He wasn't someone that abandoned his decision easily once he had made up his mind. The love he felt for Ruka was irrevocably.

Fundamental feelings like love and hate towards another person weren't something that vampires changed lightly. It was not like wearing this coat today and tomorrow one would pick another. If a vampire loved or hated he would be true to his feelings against all odds. There was little that could change these emotions, once they had anchored themselves in the synapses of the brain, they were imprinted permanently.

So his feelings were set, weren't they? If Akane didn't mean anything to him why couldn't he just walk out of that damned door? Two days ago, everything had been so simple, his life had had a structure, it might not have been the most promising one but at least, he had known what to expect. His place had been at Ruka's side and that had been in Kaname's house because Ruka had chosen to follow the pureblood. To his dismay, he had to admit that Ruka and Hanabusa had not left him with much room to argue against it, both had been much to involved and excited as that they had had an open ear for his objections.

So he had bitten his tongue and had been degraded to a bystander when it had come to all the actions set in motion by this decision. Going to the academy, Kaname drinking Ruka's blood and, hence, catapulting her out of his reach for good. He had already accepted his fate, being damned to love the woman who didn't feel the same for him. He had been determined to endure this miserable life if it only meant to be close to her and accept even the tiniest bit of attention she was willing to grant him.

Only now, everything was different. Kaname had sent him on this mission that had changed his life. He couldn't help to ask changed to what? Everything was falling apart, his emotions were a roller coaster, thanks to Akane. Wait, that wasn't true. He had been feeling angry and upset inside for quite some time, he just hadn't let it come to the surface. So whatever it was that Akane had done to him, he couldn't deny that he was drawn to her in a way he yet had to understand.

Even if he was to stay and to give her his blood, Kaname would punish him for clearly ignoring his orders to stay away from his kin. It was hopeless. The choice had already been made. The circumstances were not in Akane's and his favor. The question was, was he going to accept it this time?

While he was standing there with all these thoughts crossing his mind, he didn't notice her moving, at least not until her fingers touched his hand.

Eyes still closed, he held his breath. Her touch was light as a feather, her fingers warm and soft like silk. Before his brain could trigger any conscious action, his fingers entwined with hers. His thumb caressed the back of her hand.

God, this felt so good, it was almost as if their skin melted into each other, leaving a pleasurable tingling that went up his arm right to where his heart was. The tension in him subsided and he released his breath.

Why again hadn't he wanted this? He couldn't remember, all concerns had been wiped away by the sole touch of her hand. He couldn't say if it was a good or a bad thing but it surely felt like a big weight had been lifted from him. The thought crossed his mind that she also had been suffering, he had seen it the first night, the sad expression on her face, her whole demeanor indicating to him that there was someone who had left her. Not her father though, the pain he sensed coming from her was a different one, it was more the loss of a person she loved in a way he loved Ruka.

Maybe they were able to console each other, to heal each other? Kain didn't even dare to think about it more closely.

The next thing he knew was that he bent down to her, whether it was because she pulled him or he did it of his own will, he couldn't tell. The result was the same. He was kneeling next to her, her hand in his while his other hand was stroking her hair. It actually felt like liquid silk and he remembered how he had wondered what it was like the first night they had met. Now he could tell that the reality exceeded his expectations by far. Her hair was simply beautiful like the rest of her.

There was no barrier between his thoughts and his speaking so before he even realized the words had left his mouth.

"You're hurting. Let me help you."

Akane didn't answer. Her eyes opened up, shining with unshed tears. She looked so vulnerable, laying there on the couch, that he felt a sudden pang of pain in his chest. In her eyes, there was a whole story to read, so deep and rich that he feared that he would get lost. Her orbs were still bearing the reddish glow and he suppressed a shudder when he thought about what he was going to do. But he had made his decision, willingly. The only thing he hoped was that he wouldn't reveal too much to her in the process that scared her away from him.

Gently, she took his wrist and put it to her lips, all the while she didn't break their eye contact. By now, his heart beat wildly against his rip cage, his breath hitched. When she opened her mouth to bite him, he suddenly realized that he never had been bitten before. Panic hit him but before he could pull his hand away, he felt her fangs pierce his flesh. They tenderly shoved themselves under his skin. The sensation was overwhelming.

"Ahh…" The sound escaped his throat and he pressed his hand even closer to her lips without thinking twice.

Apparently, that was enough inducement for Akane. She gave him one last look, then she closed her eyes and started to suck.

This went beyond everything he had experienced before. Granted, he had heard all the stories that drinking another vampire's blood was an incredibly intimate act, even more intimate than sex for some, but these words had been empty shells for him since he hadn't had any reference - until now.

He felt no pain, he only felt immense pleasure as his blood was flowing freely into her mouth. He watched her swallowing eagerly, holding his wrist with both of her hands by now. Except for the gurgling noise that came from her throat in steady intervals, she was completely still.

His head was spinning by now, his heart racing in his chest. The sight of her, sucking at his wrist, was the most erotic picture he had ever seen. Her face looked angel-like, completely absorbed and peaceful. She was holding on to him as if he was her anchor in troubled water.

Kain could feel his blood cursing thru her veins, it was calling out to him. Finally, he gave in and followed the stream of his blood. Closing his eyes, he was washed away in a sudden wave. Colors exploded behind his eyes, thousands of sparkling red drops, as he traveled down the path, crawling under her skin. He faintly felt a shudder of pleasure rippling thru his core but the next moment, he was sailing away on a gentle stream.

He had no idea for how long he had been drifting. When he opened his eyes, Akane was licking the punctured wounds on his wrist, savoring every drop of his blood. She looked like a cat that just had had a big bowl of thick, rich cream, full and satisfied. He watched the pinches close fast, leaving his wrist tickling a bit.

Their eyes met. She smiled at him and a warm feeling flooded his entire body.

"Thank you", she whispered, propping herself up and bringing her face closer to his. Kain's whole body hummed by the tone of her voice. Her eyes had changed back to the brownish purple color they had had before and he found himself struggling for composure. He cleared his throat and tried his voice.

"You're welcome." It sounded strange in his ears, maybe a tick too high but he couldn't tell for sure since he had only eyes for her. Her cheeks were rosy again, her lips looked plush and still a bit moist from her meal. Her hair framed her face just beautifully. Just everything about her was beyond everything he had ever dreamed of. He was afraid that she would vanish if he made one false move.

In theory, he knew all the details about blood exchange between two vampires. He had been sharing a room with his cousin for several years now and Hanabusa never let the chance pass to talk about the sexual energy that was discharged when drinking one another's blood, no matter if human or vampire. Since Kain had drunk blood before but never experienced what his cousin described, he had always thought that maybe he was the one that was dysfunctional.

Granted, the encounters with the human women he had been drinking from had been enjoyable in a certain way but nothing like what he had just felt with Akane. The whole procedure was highly erotic. Not even in his wildest dreams he had imagined it to be that immensely pleasant.

Suddenly, he realized that he was positively flustered by all of this, something he didn't even know he was capable of feeling. He felt himself blushing.

All the while, he looked into her gorgeous face, her eyes not blinking once. She must have been reading his thoughts from his face. He almost had the impression that she really saw him for the first time what caused his own embarrassment to grow even more. He shifted uncomfortably, breaking the spell.

She turned her head to one side, batting her eyes to hide from his gaze. She put his wrist carefully back into his lap and tried to get up from the couch.

'You're an idiot, Akatsuki', he thought to himself. He had given her his blood already so there was no point in being shy anymore.

His next move was out of instinct, happening too fast for him to hold it back. He grabbed her arm with his unbitten hand, earning a small gasp from her.

"Where do you think you are you going?" he blurted out, surprised by himself for being so bold with her. Without waiting for her to answer, he pulled her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips felt exactly how he remembered them, soft and silky with a touch of sweetness on them.

The sudden move had shifted his pose and they were about to loose their balance so he pushed them both on the couch, his mouth still covering hers. She gave a muffled sound when she felt his weight on her and he propped himself up with his elbows to both her sides but managed to keep kissing her.

A small voice in his head kept asking him what in the world he thought he was doing but he silenced it. It didn't matter because he was exactly where he wanted to be, he realized that now. He didn't care if it was his blood in her that was calling out to him or the intimacy of the bite that made his body react, he wanted to kiss her, feel her and, he swore to God, he wanted to ravish her.

This time, he didn't wait for her to open up for him, he swiftly entered her mouth with his tongue and started exploring. He could still taste his blood on her crevices mixed with the taste of her own aroma. It was an enticing mix which ignited his body instantaneously.

Just when he thought that she wasn't going to yield at all, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. Her tongue did some exploring of its own and a small sigh escaped her throat. Her hands had snugged under his shirt and stroked his back, leaving a trail of fire on his skin. She broke the kiss only to move on to his neck. When she placed her lips on the sensitive spot at the bend of his neck, he couldn't hold back a moan.

Her hands were now between them, exploring his chest. Her fingers found one nipple and she gently pinched it with her nails. At the same time, she kept kissing his neck which sent jolts directly into his loins.

"Oh God… ", he groaned, his head falling to her shoulder. He rested his forehead on her collarbone as waves of ecstasy washed over him. He was burning. If he ever wanted to stop, this would be a good time. Otherwise, there would be no going back if they kept doing these things.

The image of the hunters combing thru the woods on the search for him and the woman brought him back to his senses. As much as he would love to continue he had to stay focused. They were loosing valuable time and the sooner they got out of here the better.

He sighed and pushed himself up, sitting down next to her on the couch. His heart was beating so hard that he was afraid it would burst any second. He ran his fingers thru his hair and grabbed her arm with his other hand to pull her up and into his arms. She complied willingly but she refrained from snuggling up to him. Instead, she tilted her head back, looking at him questioningly, eye brows narrowed.

His body still emotionally agitated from their physical touch, he needed a moment to calm himself down.

He gazed over her beautiful features, already regretting that he had interrupted their encounter. He shook it off. There would be another opportunity soon. At least, he hoped.

Akane raised one hand to put it up to his cheek. Her dark eyes looked directly into his head. He didn't feel any pressure or any discomfort, just gentle interest. Again, he wondered why she was so different from Kaname. The similarity between the two was striking but that was about it. Akane's upbringing had been quite unusual so that might play a big part in it. Still, one would expect her to be more harsh or hardened from the circumstances she had been raised in. Instead, she was so… he lacked the right word for it. Lovable?

He drew in a deep breath. Enough with all this mind wandering, it was time to talk.

"I'm afraid cooking got canceled." It took her a moment to process that and a smile appeared on her lips when she remembered his offer. It was gone the next second, replaced by serious alertness.

"And why is that, Akatsuki?"

And so he told her what had happened earlier that night after he had left with Chiko.

When he was finished, a sudden thought crossed his mind. Why hadn't he seen this earlier?

"Akane", he began. She seemed to be deep in thoughts but she looked at him when she heard him saying her name.

"Your and Chiko's injury are at the same spot. That isn't a coincidence, is it?" He was afraid that he already knew the answer.

She shook her head.

"No."

His heart slumped. So that basically meant that they both were connected on a physical level. Whatever happened to Chiko could affect Akane, too. As if she had heard his thoughts, she nodded, not saying anything. She didn't have to.

Always practical, he made his decision. He got up and looked for his backpack, it was exactly where he had left it the day before. He tossed it to Akane, saying:

"Pack some things, we're leaving."

He couldn't protect both, Akane and the wolf, as long as they stayed here. They had to get back to the mansion and with the guards on their heels, there was no time to dwell. He went in the kitchen to check for some bagged food and water. The scarred woman would certainly need sustenance. What reminded him that he didn't even know her name. He'd ask her later.

He glanced at Akane who had started packing. She definitely looked better and the injury didn't seem to bother her at all anymore. But he couldn't take any risk. If anything happened to her he wouldn't forgive himself. Also, he had a hunch that Chiko's wound would take significantly longer to heal since he didn't have any of Akane's pureblood powers. So the sooner he got them out of here the better.

What would Kaname say? Kain shrugged. This didn't have any priority. He would deal with Kaname when the time came.

"I am done." Her face appeared in front of him. He didn't react immediately.

"Akatsuki?" She sounded worried.

"Huh? Ah, yes, I'm fine." He smiled back at her and took the backpack from her shoulder. "Let me take this."

Her hand touched his arm and he stilled, looking at her, questioningly. Her features bore a softness he hadn't noticed before, almost as if someone had taken away all the edges, not that there had been many to begin with. She seemed to glow in the dark, making her look ethereal but that might have been his fantasy since he just had kissed her. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a picture presented itself to him in front of his inner eye. He and Akane, here in this room, sitting next to each other on the couch. The room was tinted in a warm glow, sun rays shining into the room. The scene looked extremely real, almost as if it was one of his memories and not only a fantasy.

_"He will never know. He cannot follow us here."_

He heard the words, her words to be precise, loud and clear in his head. What in earth was that? When had this happened?

But it couldn't be a memory. Confused, he blinked, shaking off the image. It was probably nothing, just his stressed vampire brain playing tricks on him.

Unexpected to him, she came closer until her face was only an inch away. Then she gently put her lips on his, lingering there for a second or two. He was so surprised, he didn't dare to move, just enjoying the sensation of her being so close.

She moved back a little, smiling at him, reassuringly.

He took her hand like if it was the most natural thing to do and they left the house.

Outside, it was still dark but Kain could already sense the sun behind the horizon. He was about to jump down the stairs when he got hold back by Akane. Irritated, he glanced over his shoulder. He was about to say something but then decided not to. She was standing there absolutely still, staring into the night sky. Her expression was serious and her gaze fixed to a point somewhere distant.

It was difficult for him not to pull her out of her stasis since they had no time to loose but he fought back the urge and let her. She was probably seeing things he couldn't perceive, her pureblood senses giving her the advantage of being connected to the surroundings on a much higher level than his senses were capable of.

What reminded him that he had yet to confront her with the fact that he knew she was a pureblood. But coming to think about it, maybe she assumed that he had been knowing from the very beginning. She hadn't hidden her heritage from him either which led him to the believe that she had been lying. When she had broken the news to him about being Rido's daughter, it had been a big surprise to say the least. And he knew that it had been troubling for her to talk about it. Still, he had always thought that purebloods were easily to spot since they practically radiated with power. So why was Akane different?

There wouldn't most likely be an answer to this question tonight so he let it go. He would have to talk to Hanabusa about it though once they were back at the mansion. His cousin knew such kind of things, knowledge was something that Hanabusa sucked up like a vacuum cleaner dirt and the amazing thing was that he didn't ever forget anything.

After a minute, she turned her face to him. An owl howled somewhere in the woods.

"We have to make haste, we will not be alone for long anymore." She sounded alarmed but not panicked.

He simply nodded, trusting her judgement completely. They went down the stairs and straight to the woods with Kain leading the way. There was a short moment when he realized that it must be the first time for her leaving the home she had known her whole life, with no guarantee to ever come back. She didn't seemed to be upset but that might have been just superficial. Kain felt a pang of guilt in his heart but it was too late to go back. She would have to come with him and he had the feeling that Akane knew her choices as well as he did.

They quickly gained ground and after a short time of running, they reached the place where he had left the wolves and the scarred woman earlier. Once more, he was amazed by Akane's grace, the way she almost hovered over the ground as if she was running on cushions of air, her steps emitting almost no audible sound. This was only surpassed by her speed that made it hard even for him to match.

They found the scene as he had left it. The woman sat with her back leaned against a tree, eyes closed. She was guarded by Chichi. Chiko was in the same spot where Kain had put the animal down and he seemed to do a lot better. The grey wolf raised his head when he heard the vampires coming. The woman stirred and opened her eyes, only to be growled at by Chichi. Obviously, the female wolf had been taking her task very seriously.

Akane was at Chiko's side in the blink of an eye, kneeling down next to him and stroking his fur. She inspected the wound and Kain could see that she was satisfied with the way he had taken care of the wolf. He pulled himself away from watching her and turned to the woman. He strolled over to where she was sitting, coming to a halt at Chichi's side. He patted the wolf's head, indicating to her that she had done a good job.

"You must be hungry. Here." He retrieved the food and the water from the backpack he had been carrying and handed it to the woman. Hesitatingly, she took it without saying anything, eyes still wide with fear. But then, her bodily needs took over and she greedily gobbled up the bread and drank the water.

Kain watched her closely. She looked weary but vigilant, her eyes darting nervously around as if she was expecting someone to jump out from behind the trees any second. Kain didn't blame her. Even though her human senses were limited, she knew that the soldiers were out there somewhere. The fire he had started a few hours ago had hold them back but not for as long as he had hoped it would.

Akane came to join him, he heard the leaves rustling behind him from where Chiko was laying. She stood next to him and he looked at her. Her expression was strained, her jaw clenched and he could feel the threat radiating off her. Her eyes were fixed on the woman in front of them who was now pressing her back against the tree, horrified by the vampire.

Just when Akane was about to move closer towards the woman, Kain reached out to hold her back by putting his arm in front of her like a bar. He could see that Akane was holding on only by a thread and the least he wanted was that the scarred woman got hurt. It probably would be the end of her if he let Akane get her way. Besides, he had to deliver the woman to Kaname so getting her ripped into pieces was not an option.

Akane was pressing against his arm now with a strength that surprised him. Granted, she was a pureblood and with that came physical power but he had thought that, because of her slender frame, she wouldn't be stronger than him. Well, he would have to rethink that. A low growl emanated from her throat, making the hair at his neck stand up. Fascinated, he studied her features that had been so lovely just a while ago and which now were simply menacing. She hadn't lost any of her beauty though, she was as magnificent in her rage as she was in a state of perfect calmness. Kain wondered for a short moment what would happen if she unleashed her powers but was brought back to the matter at hands when he felt Akane pushing harder against his arm. He wouldn't be able to hold her back for long.

He realized that he wouldn't stand a chance against her when it would come to a physical confrontation. Even though he believed her to be an unexperienced fighter, he knew that she was terribly upset by Chiko's injury and as such she was out of control. So he had to calm her down. He did it once, he could do it again. By now, his arm was hurting and his muscles were about to give in.

He drew in a deep breath and moved himself between Akane and the woman.

Akane tried to get past him but he held her in place by putting both his hands up to her shoulders, gripping her tightly. That got him her attention.

"Let me go", she said sternly. His stomach twitched by the iciness in her voice and for a second he thought that it probably had been a bad idea to stop her to begin with. He took all of his will he could find and started to speak.

"Akane, look at me." Her eyes moved from the woman over to his face. He suppressed the urge to avert his eyes. Instead, he took her gaze face on, her eyes were like black ice, cold and merciless. While his element was fire, hers obviously was ice but not in the physical form Hanabusa was able to control, it was more a mental feeling that she created. The cold that was radiating off her crawled over his skin, penetrated every pore of it and within seconds, he was held by its vice like grip. He was completely disabled, his mind and every thought in it was frozen, no impulse reached his limbs that could have made him move.

He would lie if he said that he wasn't terrified.

Then, her voice was in his head.

"I do not wish to harm you, Akatsuki. Let me pass." The gentle tone almost let his defense falter. He understood that she didn't mean to hurt him, she simply saw no other option than to immobilize him. His determination started to crumble at the edges but he kept fighting for her sake. There must be a way to bring her back to reason. Since he couldn't move the fraction of an inch, he concentrated on his mental strength that had never failed him so far. If he only was to find that spark, the connection to his inner fire, he would be able to break thru her offense. Maybe, he added. But there was no time to try different options, it had to be that one or none at all.

He went deep inside himself. The cold had almost reached every part of his body. Ignoring the numbness, he pushed further until he finally found the source. If there was a picture to describe what he saw it would be a tiny red spark about to be swallowed by blackness. Desperately now, he grabbed that spark and nourished it with the remnants of his will. Putting everything in it he had left, the little flame eventually started to flare. Warmth started to flow thru him and, with that, he slowly regained control over his body.

When he was able to feel his fingertips again, he tightened his grip around her shoulders. She looked at him, her eyes widening with surprise.

"I can't let you do that, Akane." He was serious now. "You will have to let go."

He didn't have much experience with blood exchange, at least not personally. All he knew about it, he had learned from his parents and Hanabusa. One thing he remembered was the fact that as long as his blood was cursing thru her, there was a connection. It was the reason why drinking each others blood was such an intimate act. One not only gained access to the other's thoughts and feelings, it was also a risk of vulnerability for oneself since the other vampire could call on that blood. It was a two way street. His mother had once told him that only if both partners were of equal strength, mentally and physically, the connection would be satisfying in a way that went beyond bliss.

He didn't care about the recreational effect of the whole exchange thing, this was a situation of life or death, but if it gave him the advantage he so desperately needed then he would be the a fool to let it pass.

So he called out to his blood in her system and let his warmth carry over the spark, igniting little fireworks in every single blood cell that was flowing thru her veins. Her resolve almost came instantaneously. She gasped when she realized what was happening. All different kinds of emotions flickered across her face but at the end it was gratefulness that was displayed clearly.

By taking his hands off her shoulders he broke the connection. Akane swayed from the sudden loss of halt but regained her balance quickly. She looked like her old self, maybe a little bit more fragile to him than before. What mattered the most to him was that the repelling cold was gone. Her eyes were back to the familiar purplish color, too.

He took a deep breath. He did it, though he had actually no idea how exactly he was able to pull her out of it. One more question on his list, he guessed.

"Thank you." Her voice was small and her fingers lightly touched his hand.

"Anytime", he mumbled back and he realized that he really meant it. He had all but done it for Akane's sake. More importantly, he would do it again without thinking twice. His hand closed around her fingers and squeezed them gently while he looked at her ethereal face in astonishment. This couldn't be happening, could it?

A cool wet muzzle yanked him out of his thoughts. Chichi was licking their hands, tail wagging. This earned her a chuckle from Akane who withdrew her hand to pet the wolf's head. Kain stood there for another second or so, staring down at his empty hand, before he turned to the woman that was still crouched against the tree. He betted that she was wishing the soldiers would have found instead of him.

Taking another step towards her, he tried to smile encouragingly. He half failed, half succeeded but the woman was still horrified, he could see that.

"Shh… we are not going to hurt you." Kain spoke slowly and loud enough so that Akane could hear him, too. Not that she would have anyway, even if he whispered but Kain wanted to make sure that the woman felt somewhat safer around them since they had another hike laying ahead of them.

"Are you ready for another run?" he asked her. The woman looked at him, questioningly at first, then looked behind herself into the woods. She turned her head back to him and he nodded. Realization hit home and she simply said: "Yes."

"Good", he replied and gestured her to raise. Akane joined them, Chiko in her arms. Before he could say anything, she cut him off.

"I will carry him for a while." Her tone was determined and he swallowed whatever he was going to say. He grabbed his backpack and went ahead. Akane was the rear guard so they could take the woman in the middle. Kain was going to lead them back to the abandoned gas station. From there, they would take the pickup. Hopefully, they still had enough of a head start to make it there before the soldiers were able to close in.

He looked back to where Akane was and she looked worried but smiled at him nevertheless. Well, he thought then, they simply had to try. And if they had to fight, they would figure something out.

And with that, they ran into the night, away from the rising sun.

**Ok, this can be seen as the end of the first arc. The next will be about what happens back in the mansion and we will learn more about the hunters' plans and Akane's secret(s). There will be a little bit Kaname and Yuuki but not much. Anyway, if you feel like it, please leave a review - your reading is much appreciated :-)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello there, fellow readers :-) Welcome to the second part of the story, starting off with Akane's POV. I had this sitting on my drive for a couple of days now but never really gotten around to review and upload it - until tonight, yeah :-) Enjoy!**

Chapter 16

On their way to the gas station, they had to make about a handful of stops along their way because of the human who needed water and time to catch her breath but overall, their journey had been pleasantly uneventful.

It was during one of those stops when Akane gave in and allowed Akatsuki to carry Chiko. He would look back every five minutes, at least that was what Akane had felt, and examine her with serious amber eyes. She found his chivalry flattering. He was so unpretentious about it. She liked that. Even after she had lashed out at him, his behavior towards her hadn't changed.

Ever since her father had died, she had been asking herself when her heritage would reveal its ugly face. Her mother had abandoned her because of it and she had been living her life hidden from the rest of the vampire society in a remote place in the middle of the woods. Akane knew deep inside that her mother had feared her even when she had been a child. After what had happened earlier, Akane could not blame her anymore. She realized that she knew nothing about what she was actually capable of. For her, it was like tapping around in a very dark place with only little light that allowed her to see a couple of feet but never beyond so she had no idea what was lurking in the shadows.

During her adolescence, her powers had not showed at all. When she had been angry at the world and herself, especially after her mother had abandoned her, Akane had wished so many times that she could have released her pureblood force just to feel relief but she had been disappointed every single time. Instead, she had had to abolish her anger and rage by physical exercise. God knows how many miles she had spent running thru the woods, taking out her excess physical energy on trees and smaller animals.

Her nanny had tolerated her behavior for a couple of years before she had stepped in one day.

…

_She is coming back from one of her rants in the early hours of the day. Akane is exhausted but the numb feeling of being incomplete keeps nagging in the back of her mind. She has torn out several young trees and killed a squirrel that was stupid enough to cross her path. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she thinks about the last couple of hours. As always, her memory is a blur from the moment she stepped out of the door earlier this night._

_The back of her hand is bloody, she looks at the red streaks indifferently and shrugs. The cuts and bruises she gained from tearing out the trees have healed already. Angrily, she kicks the nearest tree. Bark splinters and the tree sways dangerously, wood shrieking. Useless, she thinks, she is completely useless. She is a pureblood vampire but then again, she is not. Instead, she is a disgrace to her race and in this very moment, she is glad that her late father cannot see her like this._

_As so often, she blames her mother who has left her in this godforsaken place with nothing but a human nanny. It is a cage without bars. There is no place else she can go, she is not welcome in the vampire society, a bastard child. If they knew that she does not possess any powers at all they would kill her on the spot. She laughs bitterly, she is not only a bastard, she is also weak on top of it._

_She rubs her hand clean at the fabric of her pants and sighs, looking up into the night sky. The sun will be up soon so it will be better to go back before the old dragon comes and looks for her. Akane smiles to herself. Her father always hated humans. They are weak and only good for sustenance, he used to say. But if there was one human he respected, it was her nanny. She is a tiny, wrinkly woman but what she lacks in size she makes up for it with a great strength of will. Her family has been serving purebloods for countless generations._

_Not many pureblood families still have human servants. It is a dying profession and only handed down from mother to daughter so if the line is interrupted there is little chance to find a replacement. The women are trained in various skills, amongst them magic. Their magic is different from the magic hunters use though. It is interwoven with the pureblood family they live with and it is directed to protect and to nourish instead to dominate and to destroy like the hunters' magic. But if there is a threat to their lives they will not hesitate to use it to defend themselves. Rido Kuran might have been mad but he was not stupid so he made sure to stay away from the nanny._

_As a pureblood family, having a servant, means to be connected to humanity. It does not keep purebloods from preying on humans but it is supposed to create compassion amongst them for humankind, something that easily gets lost since her race does not carry any trace of humanity in their bodies. The servants themselves are protected by their magic that allows them to live unharmed amongst vampires. Usually, these humans live reclusively, their sole purpose to serve the pureblood family they have sworn fealty to._

_Her father's line of servants died many generations ago. Maybe that is the reason for all the madness and the bad luck, Akane muses._

_The very nanny stands in the entrance of the small house, awaiting her arrival with an unreadable expression on her face. Akane slows down, bowing her head in greeting as she addresses the older woman._

_"Satoko."_

_The servant does not even blink, her gaze fixed on Akane._

_She starts speaking when Akane is about to get up the stairs._

_"I will not tolerate your behavior any longer, young lady."_

_Akane stops in her tracks, looking at the old woman incredulously. Has she become insane?_

_Laughing at her, she continues to climb up the steps. But all of a sudden, she cannot move any further. Her feet are glued to the ground as the rest of her body is completely immobilized. She can feel the anger rise in her. The servant clearly needs a lesson._

_"Are you out of your mind, woman?" Akane's voice is dripping from rage, a growl lingering in her throat. She barely holds it back._

_The old woman looks at her somewhat curiously. Her watchful eyes, surrounded by wizened features, gaze over Akane's figure. Then, her expression changes to serious._

_"You will listen to me, child, because I am not going to repeat it." Satoko steps down until she stands directly in front of Akane who still cannot move a finger. Akane is about two heads taller than her even though the woman is standing one step above ground. The rage inside of her has become almost uncontrollable by now, rippling thru her body in waves. She bares her teeth, fangs lengthening. She feels the control slip away, the wild animal in her taking over._

_Satoko's eyes soften when she speaks again._

_"So much rage, so much pain." Her voice is like a lullaby, trying to soothe her but the rage is clouding Akane's senses. The old woman's words are almost like a soft touch to her cheek. She shakes it off, narrowing her eyes._

_"If you let go of me now, no harm will come to you." The words sound strange even in her own ears, her voice snarling. The futile attempt of breaking Satoko's spell only adds more fuel to the fire and the desire to rip the old woman into shreds becomes overwhelming as Akane's vision reddens._

_Satoko shakes her head apologetically, moving on, apparently unimpressed by Akane's struggles. _

_"There is a choice you have to make, young lady." The older woman's eyes get to rest on Akane's features. "You are your father's girl without any doubt. Passionate, fiery, charismatic. Unfortunately, madness has always been one of the lesser qualities of the Kuran family." She smiles gently. The smiles makes her face look even wrinklier. _

_Akane groans._

_"Enough with this magic! You do not know any of this. Let me go!" The underlying pain that she has been harboring inside for so many years breaks its way thru the surface. But she does not want to be hurting, she wants to be angry. Her anger has been helping her to cope with everything, her hate for the world was her anchor that made the situation bearable. It has been so easy to embrace those feelings, they numbed her pain quite effectively. Desperately, Akane tries to hold on to the remnants of her hate but it is slipping thru her fingers like sand. The pain she has been suppressing for so long crouches up on her, piercing into her flesh._

_"You know that being hateful and angry is not going to take your pain away so why do you keep engaging in it?" It was almost as if Satoko has pulled the thoughts right out of Akane's head and put it into a question._

_Growling now, she says: "Stay out of my head, woman!"_

_Shaking her head, Satoko raises a hand as in a greeting and the next second a wave of energy hits Akane, blasting thru every single cell of her body. It knocks her right off her feet as the wave takes all the hatefulness with it, making her feel unprotected and naked. Akane scrambles for the last pieces of her pride when she lands on her bottom but there is not much left she could gather. The pain of her father's loss and the disappointment of her mother's rejection raises in her, making her choke. Breathing becomes harder and she has to squeeze her eyes shut to prevent the tears from streaming out._

_Mercilessly, Satoko presses further._

_"You will have to learn to cope with your pain or, one day, it will control you just like it did your father." The woman's voice is firm but affectionate. Akane, still on the ground, looks up to her. Her head is spinning from the different kinds of emotions that are cursing thru her. At the bottom of her heart, Akane knows that Satoko is right but she is terribly afraid of what might await her if she lets the pain in. Will she break? And if yes who will be there and pick her up?_

_Again, Satoko answers her unspoken words._

_"I will be here." Her grey eyes shimmer like the water of the ocean and Akane feels herself relax upon the woman's gaze. While the redness vanishes from her vision, a sob escapes her throat. She feels as if a great pressure was just lifted from her chest._

…

At this very night, Akane had started to accept her pain. It had been a rocky road but Satoko had kept her promise and stayed at her side. She had never lost a word towards Akane about why she had helped her and Akane had not asked her. Looking back now, she simply assumed that the old woman had been bound by the oath her family had sworn so many generations ago.

Over the last couple of years, Akane had learned to embrace her heritage from both her father's and mother's side.

While her father always had been the center of attention due to his extrovert personality, her mother had stroke her as someone who was calm and thoughtful. It was still a mystery to Akane how her parents had been attracted by each other. Sometimes, she believed that it might not have been a deliberate act from her mother's side but she didn't want to go down that road right now.

But the most important lesson she had learned over the last couple of years was that she was a person of her own. Satoko had shown her how to train her mind in a way that it enabled her to control her pain and fears. The old woman had not grown tired of it to repeat over and over again that neither the pain nor the fear would be going away, it was the ability to deal with those emotions that would make it better.

She twitched her mouth half in amusement, half in sarcasm when she thought back. In the beginning, Akane had tumbled between hate, desperation and resignation as the pain had threatened to consume her entirely. Now she knew that she had walked the thin line between sanity and madness. And as she had had to find out earlier this night, she still was prone to give in and just hand herself over. If it had not been for Akatsuki she would have snapped the woman like a twig without blinking. At that very moment, it had felt so good to let every restraint go and let herself be consumed by rage. Now, it only sent a shudder thru her body and made her be disgusted by herself. But Satoko had always warned her that there would be events or circumstances that would test her self-control. Akane wondered if she had passed the test but could not find an answer in herself.

When Satoko had died, she had cried for hours. In a sense, her loss had been almost worse than the death of her father. In that moment, she had wanted to go out and rip the trees apart. But instead, she had reigned in her rage and prepared Satoko's body as she had promised to the old woman. The next day, somebody had come to pick her up so she could be buried alongside her ancestors. Akane had hoped to see her mother but she had not come. She had been alone in her grief, the whispering wind in the woods around her house the only company.

Shortly thereafter, Kaname had started to visit her on a regular basis…

A hand touched her shoulder. Pulled out of her thought so suddenly, she turned abruptly just to look into Akatsuki's amber eyes, somewhat startled. They had stopped a couple of minutes ago to let the scarred woman rest and Akane had let her thoughts wander off.

"Are you alright?" His voice sounded worried as was the expression on his features. She regained composure quickly and nodded, shooing away the dark thoughts.

"Yes." She paused to study the vertical lines that had built up between his brows and could not help but smile a bit. He was like an open book to her, his feelings and thoughts clearly displayed on his face, she could read them easily. She mused shortly if he knew at all. Maybe he did, he struck her as a person that was very perceptive. And since she had had his blood he must have clearly felt it, too.

The thought of their encounter at the cabin sent a shudder thru her whole body, her mouth becoming dry all of a sudden. Her pulse quickened and she swallowed, trying her best to ignore the longing for more. She had already taken enough of him. Not only in means of the blissfully delicious liquid that was cursing thru his veins but also of his mind. The pictures she had gotten from him had been blurry but the underlying message had been unmistakably clear. His soul was hurting because of a woman, most likely the one whose name had escaped his lips when she first had entered his mind. She did not want to prey on these emotions but these kinds of things were transmitted automatically upon blood exchange. And she knew that this was something Akatsuki would share with anybody. He had exposed himself a great deal, a fact that made her feel uncomfortable since she had never intended him to do so.

It amazed her that he had given his blood willingly, even though he knew what it meant. He also had hazarded the possibility of being punished by Kaname, although she did not believe her cousin to amerce Akatsuki for disobeying his orders. And even so, she would not allow it. Akatsuki had been beyond brave when he had stepped in earlier and prevented her from killing the woman, she owed him that much.

But above all the discomfort she felt about having violated his privacy, the thing that she wanted most was to ease his pain, knowing too well how deep this could run.

He was already standing close to her but she closed even the little distance that was left between them so her chest would almost touch his. With a flare of her nostrils, she takes in his scent. It intoxicated her senses, making her head spin a little. She could feel the heat that was radiating off him on her skin which reminded her that she had also tasted something else when she had been drinking his blood. Beneath all that pain, there was also passion, coarse and untouched. For a reason she could only fathom she raised her hand, touching his cheek with her fingertips. He stood absolutely still just as he had done earlier back at the cabin as if not to scare her away.

The need of tasting him became so overwhelming that she could not resist. She leaned in and put her lips on his, her eyes closed shut. His lips were warm and soft, a feeling so intimate that it made her hold her breath. She wanted to stay like this forever, only the racing heart in her chest betrayed her intentions. To her joy, his heart was beating at an accelerated rate just as hers, she could feel it where her breasts touched his chest. The shirt he had taken from the drawer was only loosely held together by a button or two, giving away his slightly tanned skin and the muscles underneath.

She wanted to touch him so badly, it almost caused physical pain to her to hold back. But she had already been claimed by another who was lost and she had yet to receive a proof of life - or death. Although, there was no doubt in her that Takuma was still alive, and as long as she did not hear of his whereabouts she could not be with another. Or could she?

While her body already knew the answer to that question by pressing closer to Akatsuki, her mind still hesitated, torn between faithfulness and desire. No matter how she looked at it, one of them would be sacrificed, with either outcome leaving a bruise on her heart. The only thing that had prevented her from stopping to kiss him was the fact that he needed this just as much as she did. The solace she felt upon his touch, she simply knew that Akatsuki was feeling the same. It was in his whole demeanor, in the way he struggled to keep his emotions in check or in the way he laid eyes upon her when he thought she would not notice.

Eventually, it was Akatsuki who made the decision for her. He put her head between his hands and started to kiss her tenderly. His lips gently coaxed her mouth to open up and his tongue met hers. He was contained and Akane was thankful for that. Her emotions were running high enough without him adding more fuel to the fire.

After a minute or so that seemed like an eternity, she heard him sigh and she knew he was about to break the kiss. It saddened her beyond everything else to loose the warmth of his touch so soon. Suppressing the urge to wrap her arms around him to hold him close, she opened her eyes to look into his face when he pulled back. She could see the guilt that was torturing him and it almost broke her heart. Having trouble now to keep her pureblood powers at bay, she averted her eyes to not intrude any deeper than she already had.

His hands ran thru her hair one last time, slowly and deliberately, before he let go of her completely. She savored every second of his touch.

"We should better get moving", he said, his voice coarse. He hesitated for a second or two as if he was waiting for her to say something. But for the life of her she could not.

The spell was broken.

He turned around to get Chiko who was resting next to the scarred woman, both guarded by Chichi. Akane looked after him, taking her moment to settle her inner turmoil. She had to be careful not to hurt him, he was too precious. Again, she wondered why the woman named Ruka did not love him back. She was a fool. Akatsuki would stop the earth from spinning if it was within his power only to see her happy.

The rest of their way back of the gas station went smoothly, they quickly gained ground. The human woman was surprisingly sustained. Akane mused that she must be clearly driven by fear of the hunters that were out there somewhere. She had been able to sense her presence back at her house but the feeling had faded the further they came so she hoped that they had lost their trail.

Akane sensed the vampire that was waiting for them very early, even before they had reached the rims of the woods. Unlike never before, her antennas were sharp and clear. She had also noticed it before when they had left the cabin that her scope and range had widened considerably. She caught up to Akatsuki who was running at the front. He stopped when he saw her next to him.

"A vampire is waiting for us at the gas station", she told in an outright way.

He thought over her words for a moment before he spoke.

"Stay here. I will go and check. If it's safe I will come back and get you."

Her first instinct was to say no but she quickly swallowed it. He would never allow her to come with him so there was no point in arguing.

"I will be waiting for your return then." She could see the surprise in his face upon her compliance. Then he smiled, obviously pleased. The butterflies in her stomach began to stir.

Without any further exchange, he left Chiko in her care and vanished between the bushes. 'Be careful', she thought. Hoping that it was just one of Kaname's advance guards, she turned to the woman.

It was a ghastly scar she had there in the middle of her face. She must have been beautiful when she had been young, Akane could see that in the symmetry of her features. The wrinkles around her mouth were witnesses of some sort of grief or worry, the shine had left her eyes long time ago. Right now, she was positively terrified from the fact that she was alone with the vampire who had tried to kill her a few hours ago.

Akane sat down next to Chiko and tried her best to ignore the woman. She had no intention to speak to her whatsoever so it would be best to simply give her some space. Satoko was the only human she had been ever close to but she had been family and even though they had had a rocky start they had gotten along with each other quite well in the end. Satoko had been like a mother to her. But when it came to the rest of the human crowd she could not care less.

She let her fingers run thru Chiko's fur, enjoying the softness. He was awake and she welcomed the buzzing of his mind in her head.

"I missed you, my friend", she whispered.

Chichi trotted over to them and placed herself in front of Akane to get some T.L.C. as well.

Gradually, she allowed herself to relax. Akatsuki would be coming back shortly and soon, they would be on their way to the Kuran mansion. It was probably just one of Kaname's guards waiting for them, she had not assessed the vampire as being hostile. But it was better to be safe than sorry and, therefore, she made her decision. The female wolf to her feet pricked up her ears, feeling her master's mood shift.

"Chichi, go after Akatsuki. Make sure that he is safe." A short bark was the answer and the wolf sat up, wagging her tail.

Akane cuddled the female's ears.

"Good girl. Now go."

After the wolf had disappeared between the bushes, Akane thought about what was laying ahead of her. She had left her home for the first time in her life and, so far, she had no idea what she was going to face. Given her heritage, she didn't expect the other vampires to greet her with open arms and not everyone would be willing to give her the benefit of the doubt as Akatsuki had done. She knew of the resentments noble vampires harbored against purebloods. Her father had spoken many times despiteously about the noble race and how they were either trying to heel or to kill purebloods because they feared them so much.

But her father was dead and she had yet to make her own judgement on the matter. Part of her was excited to get out there, the other part was plain frightened. Maybe it would be best to stay hidden for a while longer, adjusting to the new situation in Kaname's house before daring to step out into public. She was surely going to meet Yuuki, the pureblood princess, for her part the one thing that Kaname Kuran treasured the most on this earth. It remained to be seen how she would get along with Kaname's beloved fiance.

And then, of course, there was the whole thing with the hunters and their secret activities. Akatsuki had been successful in capturing the woman Kaname had sent him for in the first place. This fact alone would appease him after their encounter in the woods. It still sent cold shivers down her spine when she thought back of how Kaname had caned Akatsuki. He had been exceedingly mad and overreacted to the intimacy between her and Akatsuki. She had witnessed his mood swings before but that one had scared the hell out of her. Even though she knew that her cousin had reacted out of his position as the head of the family she doubted that it had needed such an exaggerated demonstration of power.

She only hoped that things would be cleared up between the two of them once they reached the mansion. Akane didn't want Akatsuki to stay away from her because of her cousin. Akatsuki was her anchor in an unknown world and the sole thought of being without him amongst strangers caused a nauseous feeling to spread from her stomach.

At this moment, Chichi appeared from between the trees, disrupting her trail of thoughts. The female wolf was followed closely by Akatsuki.

Akane's heart skipped the beat at the sight of him, emerging from the thicket. He was handsome, there was no doubt about it. His reddish hair was a gorgeous mess and the shirt he had taken from her drawer revealed well defined muscles since it was too tight around his shoulders and only held close by a button or two. She remembered the feeling when his chest had pressed against her more pliable flesh and without any warning, lust flamed up inside of her, making her flush like a teenager.

He must have noticed her reaction to him because he flushed a little bit by himself, abashedly.

She got up to greet him. He looked relaxed. She felt relief. Apparently, there had not been any threat waiting for them. The words he was about to speak confirmed her assumption.

"One of Kaname's guards awaits us. She'll guide us back to the mansion." Chichi ran back and forth between the two of them, obviously excited about the whole situation. Akatsuki laughed at her, petting her head gently. The gesture made Akane's heart ache with affection for the man in front of her. She batted her eyes to not give herself away. Maybe the whole being away from home thing had gotten to her more than she would let on? She decided not to think about it for now and banned it from her mind. They had more pressing things to attend to.

Quickly, they gathered everything and covered the remaining distance


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello there! This chapter is from Akane's POV as well. It's a bit shorter but it made sense to make a cut so the next chapter will be from Akatsuki's POV again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

The sun stood high in the sky when they stepped out into the small parking lot behind the gas station. It was a bright day so Akane had to shield her eyes from the gleaming sunlight. A couple of dust devils danced across the lot. She called the wolves to her side and made sure that the woman was keeping up, too, so they would not be out longer than necessary in case any unwanted audience was present.

Quickly, they crossed the short distance to the garage and entered thru the back entrance. Coming from outside, her eyes needed a moment to adjust. A couple of seconds later, Akane spotted a slender female figure standing in the middle of the room and recognized her immediately. The vampire wore a white blouse and a short skirt, her hair was done in a bob with a few bangs loosely covering her forehead. Though she had never seen her before, she knew it was Seiren, Kaname's personal guard. Her cousin had mentioned her a couple of times in what had been an almost affectionate way in Kaname's standards. She was stealth and absolutely lethal, a weapon in itself.

For a brief moment, Akane had doubts if she should have been honored by the fact that Kaname had sent his personal guard or if it was rather something to be concerned about. She decided to assume the former so she took a step towards the vampire to greet her.

"Seiren, I assume?" Akane inclined her head slightly.

Seiren raised her right hand to put it over her heart, bowing.

"Akane-sama." Her voice was free of any emotion. "Kaname has sent me as your guide."

Akane nodded in understanding.

"I am honored. Let us not loose any time then", Akane replied politely and looked over to Akatsuki who had already begun to pack away the backpack and opened the passenger door. Apparently, the scarred woman would be sitting in the back seat. He had put Chiko on the truck bed and Chichi was jumping on as well to be with her brother. Akatsuki closed the lid and made sure everyone was safe.

Seiren watched everything with a mildly bored expression on her face. When Akatsuki was done, she started speaking again.

"I will go ahead and make sure the route is safe. You know the way, Akatsuki." She bowed again towards Akane. "Akane-sama."

And with that, she vanished. One moment, she had just been standing there in front of them, and the next moment, she was gone. Akane blinked, a bit overwhelmed by so much efficiency.

"I believe that we are ready to follow, are we not?" Akane turned to Akatsuki who stared at the spot where Seiren had stood a few seconds ago. He looked somewhat quizzical as if there had been something comical about Seiren's behavior.

He must have seen that confused look on her face because he got serious again, shrugging apologetically.

"She is always like that. Never seen her any different." He went to the gate and opened it. He came back around the truck and held the passenger door for her with an inviting gesture.

She nodded and climbed into the passenger seat, Akatsuki closing the door shut. The seat was very comfortable and the cabin offered a lot of space. This actually was her first time in a car so it felt kind of exciting. When she looked behind her, she found that the woman was already fast asleep on the back bench. There was a small window that gave view to the truck bed where Chichi and Chiko were sitting.

On the other side, Akatsuki was getting into the driver's seat and starting the engine. It came to life with a low rumble that echoed thru her bones. She touched the panel in front of her, feeling the steady vibration under her fingertips, smiling a bit. How interesting.

That was when she noticed Akatsuki watching her. She could feel his gaze upon her, leaving a tingling sensation on her skin. Her doing must have looked somewhat strange to him but how was he supposed to know that she had never been in a car before?

"This is my first time in a car", she said without looking at him. "I like the sound and how it vibrates."

He cleared his throat.

"I'm glad to hear that since we'll be driving for a couple of hours." Akane thought that his voice matched the rumbling of the engine quite well, tightening the knot in her stomach even more. She had to concentrate to even her breathing all of a sudden.

"May I?" Without waiting for her answer, he was very close, his one hand on her shoulder to gently push her back into her seat. He somehow reached around her to grab the seatbelt and fasten it. The whole scene was over in a second or two before she could even react but her heart was racing in her chest, his smell still lingering on her clothes where he had just touched her.

"Thank you." That was all she could muster without giving herself away.

Akatsuki was either completely oblivious to what had just happened or he was trying to ignore it as she was trying to reign in her emotions. Either way, he hit the gas and carefully steered the car out of the garage. He stopped in the parking lot once more to get out and shut the gate.

And then, hell broke loose.

She heard a screeching sound that sounded remotely human coming from behind her, most likely from the roof of the garage. A second or so later, there was a heavy thud on the driver's cabin, causing the car to shake considerably. Chichi barked wildly, jumping up and down on the truck bed.

Out of instinct, Akane ducked her head while she heard the thing shuffling around above her. The barking on the truck bed echoed across the parking lot. Where was Akatsuki? She glimpsed into the rear view mirror on her side but she could not see him.

Whatever was above them, it would not stay there for long. Having overcome the first shock, she unbuckled and turned to the woman who stared at her from the backseat with terrified eyes. Akane mouthed the words "Be quiet" into her direction. Then, quickly, she slid over to the driver's seat. A hysterical giggle came from above. Just as she was debating with herself whether to shut the door and sit it out or to get out to aide Akatsuki a horrifyingly grotesque face appeared in front her, upside down. Its eyes were gleaming, its mouth was distorted into an inhuman grin, saliva dropping from it.

When it spotted Akane, its giggling became frenzied.

"Pureblood." Its voice was nothing more than a rasp like sandpaper over metal.

The woman on the back seat screamed and Akane scrambled to get back to the passenger seat. The creature was holding on with one arm while its other arm, equipped with sharp claws, reached into the cabin, missing Akane's face by only an inch. It looked around and its gaze fell upon the woman who was frozen in shock. The thing stilled for a moment, sniffing the air. Obviously, it liked what he had just smelled because it let itself down to enter the car. It gave Akane the much needed time to gather herself.

Akane had never seen a level E before up close. She knew they existed and how they were created but this was her first encounter. The thing was absolutely repelling with his sickly grey skin and sunken red eyes, lidless and wide open. Its body's proportions were distorted and it had written madness all over its face. In theory, she also knew how to kill them. Until now, she had always doubted herself to be able to end one of them but this thing was simply wrong. It would actually be very easy to kill it.

There was no time to loose. She did not want to wait for the level E to come into the cabin since it could get messy in a space that confined and the scared woman needed to stay unharmed at any costs. Kaname would not be pleased if something happened to her. So she propped herself up, facing the driver's door with her feet first, drawing a deep breath. When the creature's figure appeared in the door frame she kicked with everything she had. Her feet hit it right in the chest and it flew away from the car, screaming deafeningly from both pain and rage.

In one smooth move, Akane slid over to the driver's seat and jumped out of the car to go after the level E. When she exited the car, she shortly turned her head to the garage. Not a sign of Akatsuki. She cursed silently but decided to worry about him later. Her focus had to be on the monster in front of her.

The level E tumbled to a halt a good amount of feet away from her and it was about to get back on his feet. In a matter of a second, Akane closed the gap between them in two long strides and got her hands around its neck. It let out one more scream which shook her bones, writhing frantically. Akane struggled to keep herself away from its claws since the creature moved like a snake, desperately trying to free itself from Akane's grip. It was surprisingly strong after all.

With all her strength, she tightened her fingers around its neck until she could hear the bones crushing. The level E went limp underneath her, bubbling sounds coming from his throat. It was still conscious and all but giving her some leverage. It would probably attack her the second she let go of it. So she only took off one hand of its neck and while she was still holding on with the other hand, she drove her free fist into its chest. The vampire's scream pitched to new heights, mingling with the sound of broken rips. It started to writhe desperately underneath her, trashing its arms. She grabbed its hair with her other hand and drew it back.

Her hand made a smacking noise while she drove it in deeper until she found the creature's heart. She squeezed it which caused the vampire to increase its efforts to get away but her grip on it was too strong.

"You can't kill us all, pureblood. There are more where I came from", it sputtered with a death rattle, blood bubbling from his mouth. Bony fingers closed around her leg, claws digging into her flesh.

"You will not live that long to see it", she said icily and ripped its heart out of its chest in one clean move. The vampire's mouth formed a silent 'O' and the body instantaneously evaporated into dust. The remains got carried away by the wind and after a moment there was no evidence left.

She stood in the parking lot, panting, hands on her hips. The wounds on her leg were already healing, just a stinging sensation that was only recognized peripherally by her. She turned around to check on the wolves. Chichi was still on the truck bed, guarding her brother. The female had her paws propped up on the frame and barked loudly.

Akane raised her hand and lowered it again to indicate to the wolf that she had to be quiet. Obediently, Chichi complied. Akane extended her vampire senses only to find that the area was clear of any hostile activity. On her way to car, she wondered where the level E had come from. She had not sensed it at all which was odd since these creatures were usually not the brightest. From all what she had learned from her father and Satoko, they were impulsive and driven by the hunger for blood which made them acting carelessly. It also made them easy to predict.

All of it did not matter right now since she had managed to kill it. They had to get out of here before more of its friends would show up. Before she could go and look for Akatsuki, she needed to quickly check on the woman on the back seat. Aside from the shock she had suffered she seemed to be doing ok. Akane pulled the keys out of the ignition and shut the door. Better safe than sorry.

Just as she was to turn around, she heard a noise coming from behind her, directly followed by the smell of blood. Akatsuki's blood. In a swirl, she spun around to see him standing a couple of feet away from her, rubbing his neck with one hand. The scent of his blood almost knocked her off her feet. A wave of relief flooded thru her. He was alive.

"Are you alright?" She rushed to his side. "Let me see." Gently, she took his hand from his neck and inspected the wound. Her nostrils flared from the smell of blood and she bit back a gasp, trying to keep her breath even instead. The wound was already healing but it looked huge to her. The level E must have really gotten to him. It made her feel sick to the bone and she fought back the nauseous feeling that was spreading in her stomach.

Akatsuki turned around to look at her.

"I will be fine", he assured her, though he spoke thru clenched teeth. "The thing came out of nowhere and attacked me from behind." He was apologetical and his eyes searched her face for any sign of distress. Her heart melted in an instant from so much chivalry and she smiled back at him, reassuringly.

"I am glad that you are safe." God, she really was. To have him stand next to her, breathing and talking, made her incredibly happy.

"What happened out here?" he asked, his eyes taking on a softer touch. One of his hands played with a strand of her hair that had escaped her ponytail during all the commotion, plucking it behind her ear.

"I killed it", she answered quietly.

Pride, mixed with worry and guilt, was displayed on his face. His fingers caressed her cheek, lingering at the corner of her mouth.

"Good." He paused, his eyes ever so serious. Her heart lurched in her throat at the chance of Akatsuki kissing her. At the bottom of her heart, she found herself really wanting it. But she also knew that she would scare him away if she moved now. So she watched him patiently while various emotions flickered across his features.

In the end though, she didn't see resolve. Instead, she saw his inner conflict. It broke her heart to see him like that and she turned away from him.

"Let's move before we get more company." She was not completely able to hide the raw emotion in her voice. It felt as if she spoke with a throat full of bitter pills. Maybe it was for the best, she told herself. She carried enough baggage of her own as he did himself without a doubt. It was better not to inflict more of it upon him.

She did not wait for him to respond and went back to the car where Chichi was already waiting. The wolf wagged her tail, whining quietly. The female was feeling her inner turmoil as well. With an effort, she shoved aside the disappointment. She kept telling herself that everything would be alright.

Akane heard Akatsuki following her. They got into the car and left the gas station. Nobody spoke a word because there was not anything left to say.

The tension in her subsided the farther they got away from the gas station. It continued to be a quiet ride. The scarred woman had gone back to sleep after a couple of minutes as had the wolves. Akane felt the distant buzzing of their minds in her head. She looked out of the window and let the landscape passing her by. The steady sequence of images in front of her eyes paired with the constant purring of the car's engine relaxed her mind immensely.

The level E had been nasty. She did not know that she had in her but the second she laid eyes on that creature she had known that its whole existence was wrong. It had been easy to drive her fist into its chest and rip out its heart. Her late father had created these monsters back in the days himself. The sole thought let her shudder.

"Are you cold?" Akatsuki's voice brought her back.

"No, I was just thinking about something." She could not possibly tell him. "I am fine."

He regarded her with one of those serious looks of him but did not say anything. She knew he did not buy it but there was not anything he could do to ease her suffering anyway. It was her family after all and the things her father had done were simply too horrible to speak them out loud.

They both went back to each of their silence.

She tried to focus on the things that were laying ahead of her. Before long, she would meet her cousin and his fiance, Yuuki. And she would be staying in their house with most likely a couple of other vampires around as well. The prospect of having so much company made her uncomfortable since she was not used to it. Not that she did not know how to behave, Satoko had taught her everything about vampire etiquette but it was the pure thought of having to interact with them that scared her.

But it was too late to back down now, she knew that. She could not go back to her log cabin in the woods. It was not safe anymore. The image of hunters marauding her home was like a dagger in her brain. If they ever so much as broke or only begrimed anything, she would rip their hearts out just as she had done with the level E earlier. The intensity of her anger surprised her but that house was her life and held all the memories she had ever had in it.

She let out a long breath. Time would tell.

When she looked out of the window again, the sun had already moved a good deal across the sky. Soon, it would be dust.

Being up all night and day finally took its toll and exhaustion laid itself over her body and mind like a thick cozy blanket. She glanced over to where Akatsuki was driving. She had no idea how he was able to hold up but he seemed to be thinking, his eyes were glued to the road in front of him. For a minute or so, she allowed herself to watch his profile. The most outstanding feature was his hair, sticking out in every direction. It had the color of a gently glowing flame and it even looked a bit like one. The color went perfectly with the slightly tanned tone of his skin as well as with the amber of his eyes. Heat seemed to radiate off of him in constant waves, flowing across her and leaving a pleasant feeling on her skin. She could still feel his blood cursing thru her veins which intensified the experience even more.

His jaw was set and he looked determined. Lines appeared on his forehead and she knew that he was sighing inwardly. His one hand ran thru his hair only to make it look more disheveled than before. She could spend hours watching him like this.

More out of a reflex than anything else, she snuck a hand at his leg. It felt so good to touch him and all the somberly thoughts vanished with one rush out of head. Her eye lids became heavier with the seconds and she quickly drifted into sleep. The last thing she noticed was Akatsuki's hand covering hers, painting a small smile on her face.

**OK, Akatsuki is to see Ruka and Hanabusa again so let's hope that he will cooperate nicely LOL - I will try and not let you wait too long for the next update.**


	18. Chapter 18

** icysu22: Thank you for your review! Yeah, I picture them as cute and I'm glad that you see it that way, too, since I think Kain deserves some cuteness :-) That being said, there will be more of it down the road. I promise!**

**Edit 4/3/12: I found a mistake that really bothered me so I uploaded the chapter again. Sorry for that!**

Chapter 18

Kain's eyes burned when he watched the white lines in the middle of the road take turns with the grey of the asphalt. White, grey, white, grey, white… He blinked.

He was tired. Like dead and never going to wake up again tired. The level E had caught him off guard and the hit he had taken from the degenerated member of his race had been enough to render him unconscious for a couple of moments. The damned thing had been strong. In fact, it had been stronger than all the other level E's he had encountered to this point.

Usually, these creatures didn't live this long to gain that amount of strength because they drew too much attention to themselves once they lapsed into the level E status. As soon as that happened, either the hunters or one of Kaname's crew would nab them. But this one must have lived and fed for quite some time to become that powerful. Which meant either that it had been lucky or that someone had kept it alive on purpose.

Kain didn't believe in luck for this one. What led to a whole other bunch of assumptions and made his head hurt. Kaname wouldn't be pleased to hear it. It was the second incident within a couple of days, only this time the force behind it gunned at members of the Kuran faction directly. Well, Akane was even more than that, she was family. Kain had a hunch that the pureblood was going to be furious.

He tried to concentrate on the road in front of him. The drive would be another three hours more or less so he had to stay focused. Although he would have loved to pull over and close his eyes for a minute, he knew that they were awaited to return home. It would only cause concern if they were late.

Home. The word struck him as strange. Where was home, anyway? His real home would be at his parents' house but he hadn't been there for a while. Truth was that he couldn't bear to be apart from Ruka. He had asked her once if she wanted to accompany him. She had declined, politely though but still. Hanabusa had offered to come with them, only that this hadn't been what Kain had wanted. He had wanted to be alone with her, without his super brain smart ass cousin around.

He always had thought that home was where Ruka was but after having spent a couple of days away, he knew differently. He didn't have a home, aside from his parents' place, yet. At least not a home of his own. A place where he would look forward to returning to with a woman he loved and who loved him, maybe even children - far far down the road in a couple of years.

Hanabusa would laugh at him if he knew his thoughts. Hell, maybe he even did know and just had the courtesy not to mention it. Hanabusa had explained to him once, in a moment of brotherly affection - granted, he had been drunk - that he wasn't going to waste his talents and beauty to one woman. It wouldn't be fair towards all the others and, frankly, Kain should give up his silly attachment to Ruka and do the same. When Akatsuki had just shaken his head in disagreement, his cousin had patted his shoulder. In Hanabusa's eyes, he was a lost cause.

Maybe he was.

Akane stirred next to him and the movement pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked at her just to find her shivering.

"Are you cold?"

She looked troubled and it cost him a lot not to stop the car and pull her into his arms. For a moment, he thought that she was going to tell him but, instead, she shook her head.

"No, I was just thinking about something." Her voice was small and he could hear the her effort to let it sound steady. "I am fine."

The way she had said it told him that she wasn't fine at all but he didn't want to push the subject. It certainly was being difficult enough for her right now, even without him asking. He took a second or two to scan her features to make sure that she was alright as she could possibly be and went back to paying attention to the road after that.

Time crept by in silence. The constant purring of the engine had something lullaby like to it and Kain had to concentrate harder not to fall asleep behind the wheel.

He truly felt sorry for Akane because he had her made to leave her home. She was surely worried about coming to Kaname's house and he wished he could tell her everything was going to be alright. Truth was, Kain had no idea what Kaname would act like. However, he was certain that Yuuki, on the other hand, would be absolutely thrilled, seeing a possible friend in Akane since she didn't get along exactly well with Ruka and her best friend, Yori, was out of reach most of the time. Another family member maybe would alleviate the loneliness Yuuki had to feel from time to time.

There was no way for him to undo things. Going back to her house in the woods was simply not an option for Akane any longer. At least not until the issue with the hunters' association was resolved. It would be better to wipe them completely off the face of the earth, he thought grimly. But he knew that he was being childish, letting actually his anger and exhaustion get the better of him.

In theory, there was a good reason for the hunters' association to exist. It was an authority that stood between the two worlds, watching that no one, neither human nor vampire, crossed the invisible line that separated them from each other in an disorderly manner. In an ideal world, hunters were strong, morally impeccable men and women that only had the best interests for human kind at heart.

But that wasn't an ideal world. Greed, rage and jealousy had eaten their way thru the ranks of the association. Their motives were tainted with a mix of all the profane feelings that consumed the human mind. Strong emotions that controlled their actions, even without them knowing.

And, God knows, vampires weren't free of these kinds of things either. Their predatory nature would even make it worse sometimes. The strict rules of the vampire society had been made to prevent strong reactions to these feelings but individuals like Rido Kuran had proven that there were no measures that could prevent a mad man from executing his evil plans.

Rido Kuran had stood above the laws, he had acted as pleased and both, hunters and vampires, had been fools to think that they could control him somehow. Kain couldn't put a finger on it but he had a feeling that it wasn't over yet. Somewhere out there, a dark presence was looming in the shadows, ready to unleash more evil onto the world of humans and vampires.

The thought sent a cold shiver down his spine and he crinkled his forehead in worry, suppressing a sigh. He didn't want to upset Akane unnecessarily. Running a hand thru his hair, he watched the road in front of him. Dawn would be here soon and it wasn't long before they would reach the Kuran mansion.

The warm touch of her hand on his thigh made him stop thinking. Like pebbles in a pond, soothing waves of relaxation gently cursed thru his body, taking all the troublesome thoughts away from him in a second. His skin prickled pleasantly where she touched him and his heart beat picked up almost instantly. He thought back at their kiss after she had bitten him, how her hands had roamed over his back and chest and how it had made him feel. He hadn't known then that he actually had been craving for her touch so badly until he had felt her hands on his naked skin.

Without thinking about it, he placed his hand on top of hers. Even though she was almost as tall as he was, her hand was petite and delicate, slender and incredibly soft. The warmth of both their blood mingled and he had the feeling of melting into her. Touching her was arousing and calming at the same time, two emotions gently dueling inside of him in an upward spiral of ecstasy. To say that it was amazing was an understatement but he lacked the words to describe it adequately.

He didn't even know where to begin to understand why she made him feel this way. The fact that she was a pureblood couldn't be the only reason. There was something else about her, a genuine softness and beauty that touched a sore spot in his heart. A spot that he had been hiding from even his closest friends. But she had simply walked in on him, breaking thru his wall as if it was nothing, and she had found the one place in his soul that he had buried a long time ago.

Given her continuous modesty towards him, she probably didn't even know what she had done. On the one side, Kain was grateful for her reserve, well knowing that he wouldn't be able to withstand her attraction and certainly wouldn't want to in the first place. On the other side, however… Alone the thought of holding her in his arms, her scent swirling around him, conjured up a whole bunch of images in his head that were anything but decent.

Heart lurching in his throat, he tried to concentrate on his driving. He didn't succeed completely though but it was still sufficient for not getting off the road.

Kain glanced over at her only to find her sleeping. There was a small smile on her lips. The sweetness of the sight was almost too much for him to bear, making his heart ache with desire. But he knew too well that there would be no way to get near her after they arrived at the mansion. Kaname wouldn't allow him to spend more time with Akane than absolutely necessary.

He averted his gaze and sighed. He kept telling himself that maybe it was for the best of it. She was a pureblood and, on top of everything, a member of the Kuran family. Certainly, Kaname had to have something else in mind for her than wasting her heritage with a noble. Not that Kain's family wasn't prestigious among the nobles. On the contrary, the Kain family was well-respected in the vampire society. It might not quite have the same reputation as the Aidou family but there was no reason why he shouldn't be proud of his parents.

Why was he even thinking about such preposterous things? Nothing of it was relevant, wasn't it? Soon enough, he would be seeing Ruka and everything would be put back into the right perspective. But when he looked at Akane's sleeping figure next to him, it dawned on him that nothing would be the same anymore. He just didn't know what to make of it.

His gaze fell on his hand, entwined with hers in his lap. Her trust was precious to him and he would be damned if he betrayed it. He would find a way to protect her even though he was certain that she was able to take care of herself well on her own. The thought made him smile. When he had seen her for the first time, she had offered an impressive sight with her tall and slender physique covered with a coat of pride. It should have had occurred to him right then that she couldn't be anything else than a Kuran.

The road in front of him made a slight left turn and gave sight to the Kuran mansion that laid between small hills. Kain decided against taking the back entry where he had left a couple of days ago. Instead, he aimed for the main entrance, following the narrow road to its end. The paved path winded thru the green fields until it opened out into an iron gate. There was no point in sneaking in and drawing out the inevitable. Everybody in the house would sense Akane's presence anyway so why wait with the introductions?

He stopped the truck in front of the still closed gate. Before long, its wings would part and gain them access to the premises.

The sun stood in his back now and sent the last rays of reddish golden light towards the villa that gleamed mysteriously in the sunset. Everyone would be up by now so he took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind.

Next to him, Akane stirred.

"Are we there?" she murmured sleepily, sitting up, and looked out of the window. Behind them, he could hear the wolves move on the truck bed.

"Yes." He looked at her. "Are you ready?"

She nodded slowly. Their hands still touched and he gently squeezed her fingers, smiling encouragingly at her. He could tell from the way her eyes were wavering and her lips trembling ever so slightly that her courage was about to falter.

"I…", she began to speak but was interrupted by his other hand that reached out to her, brushing away a stray strand of hair out of her face. His fingertips hovered over her skin, barely touching her. She was completely still and looked back at him like a deer in headlights.

Kain prayed that he would be able to live up to what he was about to tell her. But he had to make her feel safe, he couldn't stand the fear in her eyes.

"I promise you will be safe", he said as firmly as he could muster.

The mix of fear and surrender on her face struck the chivalrous side of his personality. She looked so vulnerable and the only way of alleviating her worries he could think of was to kiss her. He actually was convinced that it was also the only thing right now that could soothe his fuzzy mind. When he finally leaned in to kiss her their surroundings became a blur and he held his breath in sheer anticipation.

Time seemed to stand still during those moments, every single detail burned into his mind permanently. Her eyes, wide at first when she realized what he was going to do and then slowly closed shut when she accepted it. He could hear her drawing in a sharp breath and his heart beat went thru the roof. He was going to taste her again and the thought of having her amazingly soft lips on the tip of his tongue made him feel dizzy.

The croaking sound of the gate opening up in front of the car sobered him up within an instant, letting go of her hand. It felt as if someone unloaded a bucket with cold water on top of him and he withdrew himself from Akane who gasped in surprise. Firmly, Kain grabbed the steering wheel with both hands, staring at the gate in shock and disbelief. He didn't quite know if he should feel angry or relieved but at this very moment, it was impossible to find out from the swirl of emotions that raged thru his body.

With a couple of deep breaths, he tried to reign himself him, calming down his speeding heart. He glanced at Akane next to him. She didn't look any better than he felt. Suppressing a groan, he put in the gear and slowly drove up the driveway to the mansion.

There wasn't anything he could possibly think of that seemed right to say in this very moment so he decided to say nothing at all. However, his body had its own mind, his hand reaching over to the passenger's seat to look for Akane's arm. When he found it, he let his fingers trail down along the soft fabric of her shirt until his fingers found hers. Not daring to look at her, he squeezed her hand gently.

They reached the entrance and he killed the engine. A couple of steps led up to a heavy door. Its dark wood was beautifully decorated with carvings displaying a nature scene.

Behind them, the scarred woman sat up in her seat.

Kain turned around to her. She looked worn out but alerted.

"Stay in the car until someone tells you to get out", Kain advised her. She nodded.

The door opened and Kaname stepped out, followed by Yuuki and Seiren. Kain sucked in a sharp breath from the sudden drop of temperature around them. The woman in the back made a sound that sounded like a muffled yelp. Only Akane seemed to be untouched by the pureblood's power. She unbuckled and opened the door, sliding out gracefully.

Kaname was wearing dark pants and a matching shirt loosely buttoned across his chest. His lean physique was brought out favorably by the clothes' cut. Next to him, Yuuki looked quite adorable in her short white skirt with a blouse. She was a petite person and she appeared to be even more so next to Kaname's tall figure.

Kain gritted his teeth and got out of the truck as well. Akane already had went around to car to stand right next to him. Both looked up to await Kaname's greeting. The pureblood's composure was statuesque, his expression impermeable. His dark eyes glanced from Akane to Kain as if he was trying to read between the lines. Kain felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, pressing him down mercilessly. He remembered the episode in the woods, panic suddenly creeping up on him.

In that moment, just as the weight was becoming unbearable and his knees threatened to buckle under the pressure, Yuuki clapped her hands, cheering, which obviously startled the pureblood enough to stop his little mind game. The weight vanished in an instant which left Kain scrambling for his balance.

"Welcome to our home, Akane!" Yuuki exclaimed, flying down the stairs. It was hard to say if her excitement was genuine or if she only put up a show to prevent Kaname from going any further. At some times, Kain had to simply admire her braveness to opposite Kaname so openly. She was the only one who could do it and get away with it.

"Oh, you must be hungry from the journey", Yuuki went on without paying any attention to Kaname's sour face. She stopped in front of Akane, barely reaching up to her chest. Akane was frozen in place, apparently completely overwhelmed by so much hospitality.

Kain had to suppress a grin. The situation was almost comical with Yuuki bouncing around cheerfully and Kaname looking as if he swallowed a spider, brooding as always. But given Kaname's expression, it would have been unwise to give into the impulse. So he simply stood there, trying to keep his face perfectly blank.

Yuuki, in the meantime, had taken one of Akane's hands and was talking to her in an animated voice. Akane looked down at Yuuki's small figure in astonishment. For a moment, Kain thought to see a smile flickering across Akane's face but it was gone before he could catch it.

"Are these your animals?" Yuuki asked excitedly when she spotted the wolves on the truck bed. Chichi had propped up and even Chiko had made the effort to raise. Both were wagging their tails. Yuuki danced over to them, extending her hand to touch their heads.

"Yuuki!" Kaname's voice barked across the yard with a mix of worry and anger. But the pureblood princess couldn't care less. She was laughing at the wolves who eagerly licked her fingers, obviously happy about the attention. Yuuki swirled around and smiled innocently back at her fiance.

"Oh, Kaname, aren't they beautiful?" Her voice was filled with childlike joy.

Kain could see that it took Kaname every ounce of his self control not to levigate the whole place. Behind Kaname, Seiren had taken a position that allowed her to react quickly and get Yuuki out of harms way in case things would get out of hand. It was even worse than Kain had expected. The pureblood was terribly upset and Kain started to wonder if there had happened anything else. But who could really tell with Kaname. It might as well have been a fly in his soup the night before, Kain thought grimly.

Akane's voice broke the tension.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Yuuki." She threw a glance at Kaname before she went over to where Yuuki was standing. "I am hungry, indeed. Besides, I would like to change into something more suitable before we have dinner. Would you be so kind and show me to my quarters?" Akane's voice was sweet as honey and she smiled down at Yuuki.

Yuuki was all for it and nodded enthusiastically, falling for the maneuver without hesitating.

"Well, then." Akane opened up the truck bed and got her backpack. Chichi jumped out, happy to see her master. Chiko waited patiently until Akane lifted him down. Yuuki was at the wolf's side immediately, patting his head.

"Will he be ok?" Yuuki's big eyes shimmered with worry.

"Yes, he will be", Akane assured the younger woman in an almost motherly tone. "We should be going inside now, Yuuki."

The two women went off around the house with Yuuki chattering all the way. They were quite a funny sight

Kaname didn't loose any time. The second they were out of earshot, he cut to the chase.

"What happened?" he demanded, taking a step towards Kain. The urge to flee flamed up in him but he fought it down. The pureblood stopped, waiting for an answer. Kaname's gaze was cold and calculating.

In that moment, Kain realized that he had to look terrible with the dried blood all over his neck. No wonder that Kaname was upset. So he better spilled the beans before their gang leader got hooked up with the wrong kind of idea.

"An level E attacked us at the gas station", Kain hurried to explain.

Seiren crossed her arms in front of her chest and snorted audibly.

"Impossible. I checked the area and there wasn't anything."

Kain had seen that one coming. Although he knew that Seiren was guilt-free, he didn't feel up to taking Seiren's haughtiness without return.

"Well, then this one must have slipped thru."

The purple haired vampire started to say something but Kaname raised his hand, silencing her immediately. The pureblood regarded him with a look that spoke volumes and Kain dropped the subject. No need to loose his life about a concinnity.

"I expect you in my office after you cleaned yourself up. Do not let me wait." With that said, Kaname turned around on its heel and went back into the house without waiting for Kain to reply back with the obligatory "Yes, Kaname-sama".

When he passed Seiren, he stopped briefly.

"Bring the woman to her quarters and see that she is attended to. I will see her later tonight so make sure that she is ready."

"Yes, Kaname-sama."

The heavy wooden door closed behind Kaname with a thud and they both were dismissed.

Kain put his hands into his pockets and shuffled his feet thru the gravel. He better got going to his room since he didn't want the pureblood to get all worked up. When he wanted to grab his backpack from the truck bed, he noticed that is was already gone. Akane must have taken it. Since he didn't need it right now, he would go and get it from her later.

Next to him, Seiren opened the passenger cabin and ordered the woman to exit the car. The woman did as she was told and when she emerged, Kain could literally smell her fear. He pitied her. In a way, she was in a similar situation as Akane. Only the woman's situation happened to be worse since Akane was amongst her kind while the woman was more the antelope in a circle of cheetahs. Still, this was probably the safest place she could be right now in terms of what the hunters would do if they were to be able to lay hands on her.

He was going to take the main entrance but decided against it out of a mood. He didn't want to run into either Hanabusa or Ruka who most likely were already up. It was better to use the back door for sneaking in and get to Kaname's office as quickly as possible. He had the feeling that it was going to be a long night.

**So, folks - I'm still not so happy how some of the parts turned out but since the next couple of days are going to be busy, I decided not to let you wait another week ;-) As always, please drop a line if you feel like it, I really appreciate it.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello, fellow readers! I apologize that it took me so long but work went a little crazy and I didn't get too much time to write. Fortunately, things are getting back to normal so updates will be here faster, I promise! Now, enjoy :-)**

Chapter 19

The Kuran mansion consisted of several building complexes. The building that could be seen from the main gate with the broad graveled path that led to the main door was a modern style villa. It was a big rectangular box, two stories high, with at least a dozen windows on the front side. To each side of the house, lawn was laid out, lush and green. There was a circular flower bed in front of the building, exquisitely arranged and nicely maintained. The heavy wooden two-wing door was topped by a daedal pediment.

The purpose of the this building was of a representative nature, mainly built to welcome guests, provide space for meetings and banquets. It offered room for accommodation and possessed all the amenities that one could think of. It bore Kaname's signature all over it: luxurious and elegant, decorated with both heavy and expensive fabrics as well as furniture made of dark and exotic woods.

Kain hated this place. He thought it was depressing. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if Kaname liked it at all or if he only kept it because it displayed a certain lifestyle to the audience. At certain times, Kain suspected the pureblood to have another side of his personality that he never showed to anybody except Yuuki. Nobody could be so stiff and moody all the time, there had to be another side of the equation.

Anyway, this wasn't of his concern. Kain shook off the thought and took the small path that went around the villa to the back where the actual dorms were located. The two houses couldn't be seen from the main gate since they were of a much smaller size. They were built in a traditional Japanese style with the bigger one being reserved for Kaname and Yuuki alone.

Kain aimed for the smaller building which he shared with Ruka, Hanabusa and Seiren. Even though it was the smaller one, it still offered enough space to live comfortably. It held bedrooms for each of them but when they had moved in, he and Hanabusa had decided to share a room out of habit. Kain liked his cousin's company with both the up and downsides. They were like an old couple and their quarrels were mostly settled with an underlying brotherly affection. He couldn't even remember to ever have had a serious fight with Hanabusa.

Their building had an above-ground connection to the main building. The roofed hallway looked kind of odd since it had to join two very different architectural styles with each other but it served its purpose well so Kain didn't care. It had been added by Kaname after the acquisition of the property. It was to be assumed that there was a similar arrangement made for the dorm that Kaname and Yuuki inhabited, only below ground.

Quickly, Kain strode over to his dorm, crossing the fairly large courtyard. Behind the dorms, there was a beautiful multi-level park with many opportunities for retreat. Soon, the cherry trees would be blossoming, letting the place look like it was covered with snow. It was Kain's favorite time of the year.

Even further back on the premises, apart from the main villa and the dorms, there was another building which housed the servants. It was a small cottage since there weren't many attendants to begin with. Most of the time, the staff consisted only of a gardener and his wife, the housekeeper. They were an older couple who mostly kept to themselves, carrying out their duties without any objections. If they had any suspicions about their master's nature they would keep those to themselves. But most humans were easy to fool, a fact that had been leading to vampires live amongst humans unchallengedly.

When Kain entered the house it was quiet. The first floor held the kitchen and the living area as well as a couple of side rooms that could be used as study rooms. Sliding doors that were made of wood and thin paper separated these areas from the larger living area. It looked neat with a hint of breakfast still lingering in the air. Soup. Kain's stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't had anything for awhile.

But first things first. He had to shower, change into a new set of clothes and then talk to Kaname. Food would have to wait, very much to his regret.

Apparently, everybody had already begun the day. The quietness embraced him wholly and he felt tired and worn out all of a sudden. He crossed the living area and made his way upstairs.

He entered Hanabusa's and his room. His side looked exactly as he had left it, wrinkled sheets and scattered clothes. Of course, Hanabusa hadn't bothered. His roommate was lying on his bed, reading a book, the title in a language Kain didn't know.

He stood in the door for a moment, trying to figure out if Hanabusa was really intent upon the book or if he was just pretending. Kain couldn't see his cousin's face since it was hidden behind the pages.

Hanabusa's voice startled him a little bit.

"So you're back, Akatsuki", he said, putting the book down in his lap. Pretending, after all.

Kain dragged himself over to the bed, dumping himself on it a second later. He would have given a lot actually if he was allowed to simply lay back and close his eyes, pretty sure that he would be sleeping thru the whole night and all next day. But it had to wait. He sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Had a rough day?" Hanabusa asked casually and sat up.

"You can say that."

Hanabusa snorted. He put the book aside and swung his legs over the edge of his bed.

"Do you want to tell me?"

Kain knew that this was a rhetorical question. From the way his cousin were asking him, he probably knew already what was going on. Kain decided to take the shortcut since he had an appointment to keep.

"Look, Hanabusa, just spit it out, ok?" He sounded more impatient than he had actually intended to.

It was all his cousin needed. He stood up and took his usual lecturing posture, his finger pointing at Kain.

"Another Kuran, huh?"

Kain's chin dropped to the floor but Hanabusa waived at him impatiently.

"I saw her and Yuuki just a couple of minutes ago. Even a blind man would recognize that she is a member of the Kuran family", Hanabusa moved on.

Of course, everybody could see that except for him, Kain thought sarcastically.

"So why would you bring her here?" Hanabusa looked at him seriously.

"There were complications", was all Kain could say.

"Of course there were", Hanabusa stated matter of factly. "Kaname is furious about it. These level E's are popping out all over like mushrooms and some of them are so strong that even I had difficulties to kill them."

Kain grimaced.

"We encountered one on our way back." But that wasn't the only thing Kain was worried about and he thought of the dogs he had seen in the woods. If one of them was to sink its teeth in a vampire it would be a match of life and death and he wasn't referring to the beast. Pureblood or not, Kain was convinced that these dogs could kill a vampire easily.

So there was a reason why Kaname had looked so upset on the doorstep after all. Kain started to wonder what had happened during his absence.

"… beautiful…", Hanabusa kept talking but Kain had already stopped listening. He stood up to go to bathroom since he didn't want Kaname to wait. It was never a good idea to be late with the pureblood but even more so if he was in a mood.

Before he closed the door behind him, he turned around to his cousin who was still standing there, looking disappointed that he didn't get to finish his speech.

"Hanabusa, leave her alone, will you?"

Kain shut the bathroom door before his cousin could answer but he could hear him thru the wooden panel saying something about how irresistible his personality and looks were so there was a realistic chance that she wouldn't leave him alone. Kain rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smiling a bit. His cousin was never going to change. A part of him even wanted to see Akane turn Hanabusa down. At least, he hoped she would. A pang of jealousy tugged at his heart and he frowned to himself for being so foolish.

Without wasting another thought on this, he discarded his clothes and stepped into the shower.

The shower was quick and refreshing. When he came back to the room, Hanabusa was already gone. Kain quickly took a new set of clothes out of the dresser and within less than 5 minutes he was ready to go.

On his way to Kaname's office he didn't meet anyone. Not until then, he noticed that not only the house was unusually quiet but also the premises. Not that it was ever loud around here, maintaining a sophisticated silence came naturally to all noble vampires and purebloods due to their grace and elegance. But this silence was different, it was kind of heavy and depressing. Kain could feel it in his bones that something was amiss.

When he reached the door to the pureblood's office, it was closed.

Even though the door was made of heavy oak, Kain could hear voices from the inside of Kaname's office. For vampires, eavesdropping wasn't something they would have to do consciously, it just came with the package of having heightened senses.

He heard a choking sound, followed by Kaname's deeper voice.

"Yuuki." The pureblood spoke softly as if wanting to soothe her. Apparently without success since the choking became a sob.

"Why are you still doing this to me? I am not a child anymore!" The pureblood princess was upset and Kain could sense the tension that filled the room even from where he was standing.

"I want to protect you. This mansion is the safest place for you to be at the moment." Kaname's voice held a small edge of impatience. It probably wasn't the first time both talked about it.

"But I am not your prisoner, Kaname!" Yuuki was positively yelling at him now, her voice heavy with tears.

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere and Kain knew that she had just crossed an invisible line. The air grew colder just the tiniest bit, creating a tingling sensation on the back of his neck.

"We are not discussing this again." The pureblood was serious.

There was nothing that Yuuki could do to change her fiance's mind. Kain had witnessed it before. Once Kaname had made up his mind, he had pulled thru. One could admire this part of his character as strength or one could think of it as stubborn and narrow minded. Not that Kain's opinion would ever count in this matter but he personally thought that Kaname didn't treat Yuuki as an equal most of the time. Maybe it was simply out of a habit since the pureblood had had to take on responsibility very early in his life and being the progenitor surely didn't help. Kain knew that Kaname didn't treat Yuuki the way he did out of malice or because he enjoyed it. In fact, Kain believed that the pureblood sometimes hated it but didn't know how to change his behavior.

"I hate you, Kaname!" Yuuki's voice pulled Kain out of his trail of thoughts.

A moment later, the door to Kaname's office flew open, the doorknob jamming into the wall next to it from the force behind. Kain was lucky to stand on the other side of the hallway, otherwise he would have been clearly in the way of the pureblood princess who was storming out in a whoosh of loose hair, her dress flying wildly around her and streaks of tears staining her cheeks.

She was out and away in a matter of seconds, leaving Kain with a perfect view of the puzzled pureblood behind his desk. Given the expression on Kaname's face, he hadn't seen that coming. Yuuki had simply left the battle ground, leaving him utterly alone with the scatterings of their fight. If Kain didn't know better he would say that Kaname looked defeated.

Time seemed to drag endlessly and Kain wished he would be some place else. He hadn't wanted to witness the whole situation and if there was a hole to open up underneath him he would have gladly taken the opportunity to let it swallow him.

The air still hummed with tension and Kain held his breath in anticipation of the pureblood's next step. It was like looking at a balloon that was filled to the brim with air, being about to pop every moment, rubber thin and stretched to the utmost degree.

Slowly, Kaname rose and went to the window, out of Kain's sight. Kain didn't dare to move an inch, even though his instincts were all but screaming at him to run. But he couldn't. Kaname had ordered him to be here so he stood his ground, waiting to be allowed to enter.

Kain heard glass cracking and then the pieces falling to the ground. Some of the air streamed out and took some of the tension with it, allowing him to breathe more easily.

"You may enter now." Kaname's voice was perfectly flat without any trace of emotion in it. Kain didn't know whether to admire or to pity the pureblood's ability to restrain himself.

Bracing himself, he took another breath and entered the room.

Kaname was still standing near the window, eyes fixed to a distant point somewhere outside. Pieces of glass were scattered on the floor. He looked a bit disarranged, his dark shirt wrinkled and only held together by a couple of buttons.

Kain stood in the middle of the room, waiting patiently to be addressed. With a visible effort, the pureblood pulled himself away from whatever it was that he had been watching and turned to Kain.

"Kaname-sama." Kain bowed his head a bit more than he usually would, trying to clear his mind. Maybe if he started thinking friendly thoughts the pureblood would pick up on these waves and would act nicely. Yeah, maybe hell would freeze over some day, too, Kain thought, his face still a perfect mask. He only hoped that whatever it was that Kaname had in mind he would get thru it quickly.

The pureblood's black eyes scanned over him. Kain endured the stare without blinking. As always, he could feel Kaname's empathic feelers brush against his mind, the touch was gentle, yet firm, and careful, yet curious. Kain was absolutely sure though that if the pureblood wanted he would simply tear down his defenses without any effort at all. It made him a little sick in the stomach.

Kain tried to keep his fear at bay and a couple of seconds later, the whole episode was over.

"Please, sit down with me." Kaname gestured to the desk and went over to sit down as well.

The pureblood waited until Kain had taken his seat before he spoke again.

"Thank you for bringing Akane to safety. I understand that you were having trouble along the way."

Kain started to open his mouth to say something in response but closed it again. He had been so certain that Kaname was going to reprimand him that he actually lacked words to form an appropriate answer. Well, he had been absolutely sure to do the only thing that had been right in this kind of situation but to hear it from Kaname himself took him completely off guard.

Without further introduction, Kaname handed him a piece of paper across the desk.

Kain took it and scanned over it. The writing was the one of Kaien Cross as he learned when he reached the end of the document. His penmanship was bold and beautiful. The signs flowed down the page flawlessly. The content, on the other hand, was disturbing.

After nearly two years of peace at Cross Academy, a level E had attacked the students. Although there had been no fatalities, one student, a girl, had been severely wounded. It was still uncertain if she was going to survive. In the last paragraph, he practically begged Kaname to send help in order to ensure the students' safety.

Kain put the paper down and looked at the pureblood who was sitting statuesquely at the other side of the desk. He tried to process the information he had just gotten as best as he possibly could. This was bad. After the last attack, when Rido had haunted the academy, Kaien had laid his sword to rest with the intention not to fight ever again. The headmaster of Cross Academy had been good friends with Kaname's parents and that friendship had carried over to their son after Haruka's and Juri's death, he even had taken Yuuki in and had raised her as his own.

The walls of the academy might have been thick but they were useless against the thread they were facing right now. The best would be to shut down the school entirely and to send the students home where they would be safe. But Kaien feared that the enemy had already anticipated that step and would launch another attack as soon as they were leaving the premises.

The teachers and students were trapped.

One question came up almost naturally.

"Why are the hunters not helping?"

The pureblood snorted.

"They are fighting the evil in their own ranks so they will not be able to provide any assistance."

Kain nodded. It all started falling into place, the recent attacks, the things he had seen in the woods, even Akane getting involved.

Over the last two years, things had been relatively quiet. Granted, they had fought level E's but neither one of them had been a real match.

Considering the big scheme of things, there hadn't been anything extra ordinary in all this time. Of course, there had been the usual stuff like the one or other minor hunter crisis and a couple of boring banquets but, all in all, life had been rather easy.

Kaname had been able to secure his alliances after the destruction of the senate. It had cost the pureblood a lot of time and persuasion to convince the most influential members of the vampire society that he was not an immediate threat. He had been using Yuuki as an ambassador, she was the perfect distraction with her sweet smile and lively personality. Even if she was annoying sometimes, Kain had to give her credit for being able to keep up the smile all this time.

Not that anybody amongst the nobles and other purebloods honestly believed that Kaname had turned into a saint all of a sudden but they had been keeping their heads down and played along nicely.

Of course, all of that had been shallow banter, allowing the pureblood to make decisions and bring his forces into position. Kain was sure though that others hadn't been dormant all that time, making moves behind the scenes themselves. He didn't worry about it, that was just the way things were done amongst vampires. They were masters of secrecy and deception but Kain didn't doubt for a moment that Kaname had it all laid out. The stage was ready to be played on.

It just had been lately that things had started to change in a way that one would be able to notice. Which could only mean one thing - the prelude to the battle had begun.

A sudden excitement took possession of Kain. To be honest, a little bit of action would be nice for a change.

Kaname's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Although I cannot afford to send permanent guards to the academy, I am obliged to assist. Therefore, I will be sending you and Akane."

The pureblood's gaze rested intently on one particular spot on the desk in front of him. He made a pause to let the message sink in and looked up, his eyes meeting Kain's directly. He all but flinched when Kaname's dark stare lingered on for a couple of moments. It reminded him of their encounter in the woods not so long ago and Kain had to gather every single bit of his self-control to not panic.

And, as if this wasn't enough, he felt a wave of joy building up in him from the prospect of spending more time with Akane. Kain tried his best to keep his face perfectly blank from any emotion, concentrating on keeping his breath going at an even pace.

Either Kaname was completely oblivious to Kain's distress or he had chosen to ignore it. He went on without the tiniest blink.

"I expect you back at dawn five days from now." Which would give them three days at most to hang around the academy, assuming no troubles along the way.

"Yes, Kaname-sama." The autopilot had kicked in just in time and Kain's brain came up with the correct answer all by itself.

The pureblood's eyes got a shade darker - if this was even possible - making Kain feel like a deer in headlights, not able to pull away.

"You are to protect her." It was a verdict.

Kaname stood up, turning his back to him. There was a moment of fraught silence. Kain couldn't see his face but his voice was restrained when he moved on.

"She has been claimed by another. I expect you to honor the agreement until this person is to come back." The pureblood made a pause. When he spoke again, the words were barely a whisper.

"Even if Akane has chosen another in the meantime." Kain had to actually make himself listen in order to hear it.

His brain processed the words correctly, even though he didn't grasp the whole context. Kain was rendered speechless. Not only that, he was confused. Who had claimed Akane? Why wasn't he with her? It had just sounded to him as if Kaname would accept Akane's choice, whatever that would be. But he had asked him to respect the fact that there was another man who couldn't speak for himself in that matter. There were only a very few people Kaname would step up for in a way he had done a few moments ago.

Suddenly, it literally made 'click' in his head and Kain was sure that it had been loud enough for the pureblood to perceive.

Takuma.

At this very moment, Kain was glad to be sitting. Akane's reservation towards him, her sadness - it all made sense to him now. She was bound to Takuma, the only person on the planet that deserved to be called Kaname's friend, and Kain was almost absolutely certain that the pureblood had lectured her about her responsibilities as well. The episode in the woods, of course. Kain would bet his right arm that she had defied Kaname whereupon he had slapped her as a last resort to assert himself.

Only he believed that he hadn't succeeded, otherwise the pureblood wouldn't be bringing this up right now.

Kain suppressed a groan and refrained from putting his head into his hands. This was a nightmare. Now that he knew what was he going to do? Takuma was not only Kaname's friend, he also was a well respected member of this faction. Not that Kain had actually planned on making a move on Akane - he hadn't, had he? - but under these circumstances it was out of the question that he would ever do.

All the time, Kain tried hard to keep his composure. If he let on that the news had startled him, it would put him and Akane only further into the spot light. He had to tell himself a couple of times to breathe in and out normally. Kaname wasn't punishing him, not yet at least. No, the pureblood was simply manipulating his actions. Kain swallowed down the bitter taste of disgust.

When Kaname turned back to him, his face was perfectly smooth. His hands were folded behind his back and he looked all business.

Tilting his head ever so slightly, the pureblood looked down on him with an almost fatherly expression.

"I am glad that you appreciate my advice. You two will be leaving later tonight."

Kain honestly had the urge to stand up and slap him. He mentally shrugged his shoulders. Of course, there was no use to it, the deviousness was a part of Kaname's character like the moon and the stars were part of the night sky.

The pureblood sat down behind the desk. The meeting wasn't over yet.

"Tell me what you saw in the woods."

So Kain did. The soldiers, the blood hounds, how he had found the woman. He didn't elaborate his decision to take Akane back with him though, by now it was clear that there had been no other option.

While he was talking, Kaname listened, sitting behind his desk like a statue. After Kain had concluded his summary of the events, the pureblood turned his head to the door.

"You may bring her in now, Seiren."

The door opened and Seiren entered with the woman Kain had found in the woods. She looked not exactly rested but she had changed into a pair of pants and a blouse which made her look more civilian than the white lab coat.

Out of courtesy, Kain stood up and offered his seat. After she had sit down, he took his place next to Seiren.

Kaname leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in front of his chest. He waited for the woman to sit down before his dark gaze caught the woman's eyes. She grew stiff. The pureblood's power was subtle but it was enough to send a chill down Kain's spine.

"Tell me your name." The order was masked by a velvety layer.

"Amanda." He had pulled it right from her brain. Kain saw her shoulders relax, she was completely under Kaname's influence now.

"What were you doing in the woods?" Kaname leaned forward, smiling encouragingly. The sight was disturbingly scary.

The woman's eyes became glassy.

"I was running away," she answered dreamily.

"What you were running away from, Amanda?" The pureblood's voice had a sharp edge to it now, his eyes narrowing. Kain bet that the woman would have flinched if it wasn't for Kaname's hold over her. Instead, she simply sat there, a blank stare on her face.

Before she could answer, Kaname stood up and went around the desk to stand in front of her chair, never loosing eye contact.

"What are the hunters planning? What is the purpose of the facility you fled from?" He looked down at her, his features chiseled in stone.

It shortly looked as if the woman was going to fight against Kaname's mind grip but she didn't stand a chance. Her defenses crumbled before they had even been up. When she finally spoke, her voice was very quiet.

"They are creating an army against you."

The silence that followed was remarkable even for the hearing sense of a vampire. No sound was made for a couple of moments. Next to him, Seiren stiffened up.

"And what kind of army would that be, Amanda?" The words hung in the air, a damocles sword above her head.

"Hybrids." She said the word like it was the most normal thing to say.

The tension in the room was almost too much to bear. Kain could see that the pureblood was close to one of his eruptions. Seiren had moved slightly away from him so she had a better angle at the woman in case she had to react fast.

"Explain." A cold breeze whirled thru the room, messing up the paper pile on Kaname's desk. Crackling flashes of electricity flickered on and off around the desk lamp, making Kain's hair in his neck stand up.

The woman was still perfectly relaxed when she followed the order.

"Last week, we were able to crossbreed human and pureblood DNA for the first time in a way that the hybrids are resilient to the common supernatural vampire powers. They don't have powers of their own though." She let it sink in before she added: "At least not yet."

Kain felt a wave of nausea wash over him. This was disconcerting news. No, cross that - this was downright bad. An army of level E's, unleashed to destroy his kind, exceeded his worst nightmares. How could the hunters even think they would be able to control these monsters? Did Zero know of that?

He watched Kaname turning around to directly look at both Seiren and him. Behind the perfect mask, the pureblood's emotions were running high. Rage radiated off him in waves, making the air around him swirl.

"Seiren, get Akane."

"Yes, Kaname-sama." In a blink, the purple haired vampire was gone.

At this point, Kain feared for the woman's life. He knew that, in Kaname's eyes, harming a human came very close to a sacrilege but she had been participating in the planning of a war. Kain wasn't sure if he even wanted to hold him back in the attempt.

"Tell me," Kaname's cold voice cut thru the silence, "why did you run away?"

The woman looked troubled all of the sudden, hands shaking in her lap.

"They had my son. They threatened to kill him if I didn't perform the research. Last… last week… " She broke off, sobbing.

Kaname took a step towards her.

"Proceed."

Drawing in a shaky breath, she moved on.

"He vanished last week. They think I helped him escape and now they are after my daughter." Tears were streaming down her face now and Kain could see the honest despair in her eyes.

"Please, let me go. I have to find her." Her pleading was calm, only the tremor in her voice betraying her.

The stare Kaname gave her was excruciating. He probably was rummaging thru every corner of her brain, determined to find the truth. After a couple of very long seconds, he broke the connection, exhaling audibly. The woman slumped in her seat. She was close to passing out.

"I am afraid I cannot do that." The pureblood's decision was final. The woman was to stay as their prisoner until it was over. Whatever that meant, Kain wasn't really keen to find out. The future looked quite dire all of a sudden.

Seiren returned with Akane on her heels. Her long silky hair cascaded down her back and she had changed into a new set of tightly fit pants and a turtle neck. Even under the given circumstances, Kain noticed that the clothes were like a second skin and revealed every curve of her body, an outright sexy sight as he had to admit to himself. Quickly, he looked down at his feet, hoping his staring had gone unnoticed.

When he looked back up, Akane had taken a position next to her cousin. The similarity between the two of them was remarkable. In fact, it was almost as if they have been made from one and the same piece. One male, one female - one was dark, the other one was light - Yin and Yang. He really must have stood beside himself not to see that the first time they had met.

"Seiren, please take Amanda back to her quarters. She is going to stay with us." The topic was dismissed and Kaname went back behind his desk.

"Yes, Kaname-sama."

After Seiren had left with the woman, the three of them were alone.

Kain started feeling a little uncomfortable but Akane flashed him a smile that made the butterflies in his stomach do their happy dance.

Deliberately, she took the seat Amanda had been in a couple of moments ago, crossed her long legs elegantly and started talking.

"Dear cousin, what is the purpose of this meeting?" Her tone was casual, she could have asked for the weather as well. Where was the insecure Akane he had seen in the car?

"I want you to go with Kain to Cross Academy to protect the students that are trapped there because of recent attacks of level E's."

Akane nodded in agreement and gestured Kaname to move on.

"Also, a fraction of the hunters is creating an army against me and my followers. The level E's you are about to encounter will most likely be immune to our powers so you both will have to use physical measures to kill them." He looked intently at Akane who returned his stare coolly.

If Kain hadn't seen her earlier in the pickup, all vulnerable and sweet looking, he wouldn't believe her to be the same person. She was being so… sassy. To his own astonishment, he found that it suited her surprisingly well. According to the expression on Kaname's face, the pureblood hadn't been prepared for her to make such an entrance.

"I got from the woman's memories that you already were successful."

"Yes, cousin. I ripped out the creature's heart." She couldn't have said it more sweetly.

Kain suppressed a shudder and swallowed. She hadn't told him how she had killed the level E, only that she had. But that was impressive. He still didn't think of her as physically aggressive but he had to remind himself that she already had taught him a lesson in the woods not so long ago. So she was a fighter after all.

And why was this fact doing funny things with his stomach? She had just become even more attractive to him than she already was. Oh, for God's sake, stop it! He reprimanded himself silently. This wasn't the time for these kinds of thoughts.

"I assume you did not leave any information that could point to you or this faction in your house?" Kaname's voice brought him back into the moment.

Akane shook her head in confirmation.

"Then we still have some time before they will find out that we are in possession of their head researcher."

After all the direness, Kaname looked an inch less strained. Kain understood why. By now, the soldiers had found Akane's home and if they had found anything that betrayed who or where she was, they would have known by now. But their prosecutors hadn't which gave them valuable time to plan a counterattack. Given, it was a very slim stripe of light at the horizon, but it was there nonetheless.

Kaname stood up, looking from Akane to Kain and back. His expression was distant.

"All is said. You two will be leaving shortly." The pureblood went for the door but turned around one more time before leaving the room.

"Be careful." And with that, he was gone.

Akane sat in her chair, motionless. Her back was rigid and she was kneading her hands in her lap. She looked rattled.

He took a step toward her.

"Are you alright?"

She drew in a shaky breath.

"Y-Yes." Avoiding his eyes, she looked in the other direction, out of the window.

"You don't seem to be." He was close to her now, his hand reached out to her, hesitating. He really wanted to touch her but… But what actually? He asked himself and found that there really wasn't any reason for him to not be compassionate.

When his hand finally touched her shoulder, he felt the warmth of her body radiating thru the fabric. He would never cease to be amazed of the effect she had on him. Comfort was always the first of emotions that flooded thru him, quickly followed by a longing he didn't quite understand and a deep affection for her. Once again, he wondered what the meaning of all of this was.

Her hand covered his, squeezing it gently.

"I am fine." She turned her head up and their eyes met. "I… I just needed a moment to gather myself. As I am sure you know my cousin can be quite overwhelming sometimes."

She laughed nervously. And suddenly, he realized that she had put up a show the whole time. Her sassiness and cool demeanor had been a fake to impress Kaname and to keep him off her back. She had succeeded, Kain was sure of it.

"You did fabulously," he reassured her, taking her hand in his and pulling her out of the chair, close to him. There was no resistance from her side this time so he pulled her further until he held her in his arm, her other hand on his chest.

She looked at him, a wondrous expression in her eyes. God, she was beautiful. The realization hit him hard and only the fact that they were standing in Kaname's office held him back from kissing the lights out of her. To hell with the pureblood and his mind games. He couldn't blame his cousin for wanting to move on. By all means, it was not Kaname's decision to make.

But then, his thoughts shifted to Takuma who had been gone for two years now. Wherever he was right now and whatever it was he might be doing - was he thinking of Akane? Was he looking forward to the day he would see her again, certain that she would still love him? Was he lying awake at night thinking of how her touch on his skin felt? The thoughts were painful for Kain and even though he gave a damn about Kaname, he couldn't ignore Takuma's feelings.

Frowning at himself, he held Akane close to his heart. She was very still in his arm as if she was aware of his turmoil. Maybe she was even having her own inner fight. A sigh escaped his throat and she stirred.

"We should be on our way, Akatsuki," she said sadly.


	20. Chapter 20

**I just finished this - I didn't want to wait with sharing so I apologize for any mistakes. If you find one (or more) please drop a note and I will be happy to take care of each and every one :-)**

Chapter 20

When she pulled away, the sharp sting of pain he felt in his heart almost made him flinch. It took him a lot of self-restraint not to hold her back. Instead, he let go of her and she all but fled out of the office, away from him.

He could still feel the warmth of her touch on his skin when he stood in Kaname's office alone, staring at the spot where she just vanished out of the door.

It took him a minute to get himself moving as well. When he entered the hallway he almost bumped into Ruka.

"Akatsuki! Watch -" The petite brown haired vampire stopped in her tirade. Her eyes scanned over his face and his whole appearance, frowning.

"You look positively awful," she stated. And then, somewhat softer, she added: "What happened?"

Kain was in shock, mouth dry all of a sudden. It had taken him completely off guard to meet her so unexpectedly. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and it cost him a lot of will to calm it down. While he was trying to get himself under control, he took her appearance in. Since they almost had collided a couple of seconds ago she was still dangerously close, her scent swirling around him, stealing his breath.

Her beauty struck him with force and at this very moment, he deemed her to be one of the creatures from a fairy tale, too beautiful to be true.

She looked as lovely as always in her pastel colored dress, her honey brown hair cascading down her back and over her shoulders. With his emotions still messed up because of Akane earlier, he just couldn't find a way to get his brain forming intelligible words.

And why, for God's sake, did he have to feel so guilty?

Her expression changed and the worry made place for impatience.

"Are you going to talk to me? Or have you lost your voice while you were gone?" She had to crane her neck because he was so much taller than she but her lack of size was compensated by her stance and determination.

A wave of guilt swept over him. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong or unfaithful but it was there anyways with Ruka. As much as he wished it to be true, they weren't a couple so he didn't have anything to feel ashamed about, did he? But he couldn't help than to feel caught. This was plainly silly and he knew it.

Eventually, he managed to answer.

"The last couple of days have been sort of rough." Though it was the truth it was pretty lame but it was all he could manage to say. Where was his eloquence? Even with Akane, he had been doing better. The lump in his throat was still there, blocking the words and adding to his embarrassment.

She thought about what he had just said and it seemed to satisfy her. Typically Ruka, she went on to the next point on her agenda.

"Have you seen Yuuki? I'm supposed to have lessons with her but I cannot find her."

Lessons. In the mist of recent events, Kain dimly remembered that Ruka had been giving the pureblood princess lessons in vampire society rules. He hadn't quite understood the purpose of those to begin with. Smile and look pretty, there wasn't anything more to it so why the hell did it need lessons? But that wasn't of his concern. And with Ruka, it didn't make any sense to argue since it had been Kaname's order so he swallowed the bitty remark he had on the tip of his tongue.

"Did you check her chambers?" Was he supposed to tell her what he had witnessed earlier? It hadn't been the first fight between Kaname and Yuuki and wouldn't certainly be the last. They both had been struggling a lot in their two year long relationship but Kain doubted that it was because of the lack of love between them. He didn't want Ruka to have false hopes.

"No, but I was going to do that next." She turned to go only to stop in the middle, looking back at him. Her eyes bore a kind expression and the glance sent a pleasant shudder down his spine. He really could get lost in her stare.

When she spoke he barely heard the words, fascinated by the way her lips moved. How many times had he fantasized about how it would be to kiss them? Countless times, he answered the question to himself silently with a longing that was actually painful to his heart. And still, the abyss between them was as big as an ocean. Even when she was as near as she was now.

"I take it that you will leave again soon." She hesitated, biting her lip. He thought that it looked just lovely.

"Be careful." And without waiting for him to reply, she turned around and left him standing in the hallway alone.

Kain had to blink once or twice. When it came to Ruka he was completely clueless. The one minute, she was harsh and then, a moment later, she said something nice. It confused the hell out of him.

When he crossed the yard to go back to his room he ran into his cousin. Hanabusa waived and gestured him to stop.

"Akane-sama is looking for you." His blue eyes sparkled. "She is waiting at the back gate for you."

"Uhm… thank you." Would they be leaving so soon already? Secretly, he had hoped to get a chance to eat first. It would be impossible for him to maintain in a functioning mode for the next couple of hours without any sustenance.

His cousin looked somehow excited. Questioningly, Kain raised an eyebrow at him.

"You must be very lucky to get to spend time with her. She not only is beautiful but also quite nice. I wonder who her mother -"

Before Kain knew it he had grabbed his cousin's arm, stopping him mid sentence.

"Drop it, Hanabusa. No sneaking around this time." Kain was serious. The identity of Akane's mother was not something to be revealed by a nosey noble vampire like his cousin. Kain had a hunch that Hanabusa could get into more trouble than he wished for.

More pleadingly, he added: "Please, Hanabusa. Promise me that you will not do something stupid while I am gone."

Hanabusa looked from where Kain were holding his arm to his cousin's face only to recognize the determination in it. Maybe Kain had been more firm that he had actually intended to but he found that with Hanabusa, it couldn't hurt. He let go of his cousin's arm, trying not to look too apologetic about it.

Pouting ever so prettily, Hanabusa brushed his sleeve.

"If you insist, Akatsuki." He thought briefly before he moved on. "But there will be somebody else who sniffs around as soon as her existence is known. I am just trying to help out."

Out of protectiveness toward his cousin, Kain's first reaction was to hold against it but then he thought about it. Hanabusa was right. Not that he ever hadn't been which didn't mean that it was always good for him.

But that was beside the point. The vampire society was completely unaware of Akane. Only a handful of people knew that she existed and even less knew who her mother was. The moment she stepped out of the shadows into the spotlight they would be all over her. Not literally though because that's not how things were done amongst vampires.

But with utmost certainty, Kain knew that they all would lay out subtle traps, waiting for her to step into them. She could get hurt in the process and Kain was sure that he didn't want that to happen. Gathering some knowledge about her circumstances would be an asset in keeping her out of harm's way. His cousin was a formidable investigator due to his intelligence and sense for details. He was able to connect dots that hadn't had anything in common on a first glance, his ability to see behind things was what made him so successful.

Of course, he could always ask Akane herself. Actually, Kain was sure that she would give him the answers without hesitation. The only question was if she possessed all the information he needed in order to protect her. Akane's knowledge might be limited just because her parents hadn't told her the whole story. For that matter, he would bet his ass that Kaname hadn't been entirely honest toward her either, Kain thought grimly. So even if her intentions were good they would have the potential to lead him into the wrong direction.

Next to him, Hanabusa waited patiently for his chance.

Kain sighed. He had made his decision.

"Ok, Hanabusa." Left without much choice, he agreed. But that still didn't mean that he liked the idea. "But promise to keep a low profile and don't get yourself caught in the process."

Hanabusa's face lit up. Kain knew that his cousin loved mysteries, they were like candy for his ingenious brain. He only hoped that it wouldn't cause him too much trouble.

His cousin must have seen his inner conflict because he put a hand on his shoulder.

"I will be careful. And hey -" he winked at him, "I'm not stupid. Now go, you shouldn't let the lady wait." One last brotherly pad and he was gone.

Right, Akane was waiting for him. He thought briefly if it was better to go back to his room first to pack some things but then decided against it since he didn't want to let her wait.

When he came into sight of the back entrance, she stood there, leaning nonchalantly against the hood of the pickup truck, the two wolves to her feet. The grey animals spotted him almost instantly and Chichi trotted over to greet him. Chiko was resting but he raised his head, ears pricked up, tail wagging slightly. It was a delight to see him doing better already.

Kain petted Chichi's head and the female rewarded him by licking his hand in return. That made him smile, he really liked the two of them. Very smart and understanding animals, absolutely loyal to Akane. Kain knew that it was due to the bond they shared but that didn't make it any less adorable.

Her master regarded the whole scene with a gaze that was unreadable. At this very moment she indeed looked like a Kuran. And that she was, he reminded himself. But being around her made him forget this important piece of information because her personality definitely was not.

Closing the distance between them, Kain grew more excited with each step of the way. He was about to spend another couple of days alone with her and chances were great that he would be getting to know her better. Maybe an opportunity would present itself to kiss her again. His heart sped up a little at the thought of it. Maybe this time, there wouldn't be any distraction. The butterflies in his belly began to stir and he quickly reigned in his thoughts. The situation was serious and the last thing he should be thinking about was how to find a way to kiss her.

But no matter how hard he tried to push it away, the thought kept lingering in the back of his mind.

He was only a couple of feet away from her when she moved one arm behind her to draw out his backpack. It looked considerably bigger than the last time he had seen it but before he could ask she explained.

"I took the liberty and packed some clothes as well as some food." She looked somewhat apologetic, only that the smile that showed around her mouth was too cute for him to be remotely angry whatsoever with her. Food, he already loved her for that. That made him almost stop dead in his tracks. His empty stomach was surely playing tricks on him.

In front of him, Akane's smile faltered, giving space to a concerned frown, and he could clearly see that she was thinking about what she possibly could have done wrong. He hurried to answer.

"I am positively starving, that was very considerate of you." He was within arm's reach and took the backpack out of her hand, smiling genuinely back at her. "Thank you." He really meant it.

Was she blushing? Her cheeks grew a bit rosy but it could as well be the last sun rays that were casting the last light of the day upon her face.

"I hope the food will suit you. For the clothes, your cousin was very helpful." She stood there, watching him unwrap a roll when he looked at her with an amused expression on his face.

"I am sure that Hanabusa only had my best interests at heart." The roll looked delicious and his stomach rumbled in excitement. He took a bite, savoring the taste. It was exceptionally good.

With finally some food in his mouth, he started feeling better. The outlook seemed to be not so dire anymore. They would take on one problem at a time, nothing was lost yet. He was no fool, the situation was serious and the threat was absolutely dangerous. But panic would get them nowhere and if there was anything the hunters were waiting for it was for the vampires to overreact. All they had to do was to stay as calm and organized as possible. Kaname certainly knew that, too. The only fear Kain had was that the rest of the vampires wouldn't be following the pureblood's lead.

But this was in Kaname's hands now. His orders had been clear. To get to Cross Academy and to protect the students and, if possible, bring them to safety. He shoved the last piece of roll into his mouth and swallowed.

The whole time, Akane had been standing next to him, her dark eyes observing him closely. He could see all different kinds of things in those deep purple orbs - kindness, curiosity, fear, and affection. The latter touched a spot right across his heart, a void that had been there since he had met Ruka for the first time. They had been kids but even back then, he had know that she was the one. There had been times when he had hoped that she would accept his love and love him back only to be disappointed every single time. He had her friendship but it wasn't enough to satisfy the longing - and he wasn't referring to his physical needs, well, at least not only. The aching spot across his heart came from a much deeper place inside his soul, the longing to be loved wholly, a feeling that embraced all the different facets of his self and that only a lover could soothe.

But he was zoning out. It didn't look like there would be a quick fix to his problem anyways. So he mentally shoved his hurt in a box and stowed it away.

Kain gestured to the car.

"Shall we?"

Akane nodded in response. Chichi let out a short bark and ran around the car to jump on the truck bed.

Kain bent down to Chiko, scratching his ears.

"Come on, buddy. Let's get you up there, too." He scooped him up and carried him to the rear of the truck. Kain closed the lid and secured it. Akane was just getting in the passenger seat so he hurried around to close the door for her.

After he had gotten into the truck himself, buckled up and started the engine, he looked to his side where Akane was sitting. It felt incredibly good to have her next to him. She returned his gaze and a smile appeared on her lips. Their hands reached out at the same time and met in the middle. Even though he had anticipated the warmth and the silkiness of her skin, the touch itself never ceased to amaze him anew.

In the middle of all the chaos, the recently uncovered hunters' plot against Kaname and the level E attacks, he had never thought that the would be sitting happily in a car with another woman. But here he was, holding Akane's hand and wondering why the hell he had been so worried just a minute ago. Wondrously, he smiled back at her, not yet understanding what the reason behind all of this was.

And if it wasn't for the fact that there were standing in front of Kaname's house he would simply lean over and kiss her. His skin tingled where they touched, sending a pleasant shiver up his arm and thru his body. There was suddenly a knot in his throat which made him swallow but without success. It didn't want to go away. All his surroundings got blotted out, leaving only her eyes, so deep and dark, and her incredibly beautiful face in his vision.

She cleared her throat and he snapped out of it, withdrawing his hand. Firmly, he grabbed the steering wheel and took a couple of deep breaths to get himself under control again. The next time, he promised to himself, the next time he would kiss her and if it just were because he needed to get it out of his system. When he looked back at her, she was sitting in her seat, face averted. Only the rate at which her chest was raising and lowering gave her away. Her breathing was just as shallow as his had been a few moments ago and he could tell from the way she was holding her body that she was having trouble to get her emotions reigned in as well.

God, he almost groaned at the sight of her. It didn't make it easier for him knowing that she had wanted it, too. Damn it, he cursed silently, and backed out the car. Hitting the gas a little bit harder than intended, he sent gravel flying around.

Leaving the premises, he kept telling himself to calm down until his mantra showed some effect eventually. They had a long drive ahead of them so he better got himself under control. Kain put in the cruise control and tried to relax. The last couple of days were taking their toll on him, he could feel the tiredness eating away at him, his head felt incredibly heavy. At this rate, he would never make it to Cross Academy. What he needed was entertainment.

Akane's hand was still laying on the middle panel between them where one would put beverages. He placed his hand back on top of hers.

"Tell me something."

That startled her. She looked at him, questioningly.

"Huh?"

"Anything. I mean I don't want to fall asleep behind the wheel so anything you want to tell me is fine."

"Oh." She hesitated briefly. "What do want to know?"

Well, he had some ideas but he didn't want to push his luck so he tried to think of something easy to start with.

"How did you get Chichi and Chiko?" He prayed that this was harmless enough because he found himself look forward to having a conversation with her. Maybe she felt the same about him or maybe she was just grateful that he had picked neutral ground, he didn't know but he could feel her hand relax beneath his fingers.

"They were a present of Kaname. Shortly after my nanny's death, he visited my house and brought the two bundles with him." A smile appeared on her lips when she recalled the memories. Her features grew soft and Kain thought that she looked like an angel. His heart skipped a beat.

"They were not weaned at this point so I had to bottle feed them every couple of hours." Her fingers entwined with his. "Around the clock." She laughed. The sound had something magical about it, like the distant ringing of bells on a clear summer night.

"It was not long before I discovered that we shared a special connection. Back then, I just thought it was because I was so close to them." She shrugged, her expression suddenly apologetically and worried. Kain knew that she was referring to the situation when he had knocked out by her powers.

"You didn't know what you were capable of." He tried to ease her guilt as best as he could. That wasn't how he had wanted the conversation to go. It was supposed to be entertaining, he hadn't intended to cause her any worries. He made a note to himself that he needed to talk to Hanabusa about how to make small talk when all of this was over.

Squeezing her hand gently, he added: "On the bright side of things, you found out that you have powers." That earned him a wry smile from her but at least he got a somewhat positive reaction out of her.

"I guess you are right, Akatsuki." Her eyes scanned over his face and a concerned expression appeared on her face.

"You look tired. Why don't you pull over and you get some sleep?"

That sounded incredibly tempting to Kain's tired brain. Unfortunately, they were on a tight schedule so there was no way he could give in as much as he would love to. He fantasized shortly about having a nap on the back seat with Akane in his arms but pushed that thought away quickly, shaking his head.

"We can't loose any more time. Don't worry, I'll catch up when we're at the Academy."

She didn't buy it for a second. Instead, she frowned at him.

"That is going to be impossible and you know that."

There wasn't much for him left to say so he kept his mouth shut. She was right. Period. Once they reached the Academy they would need to go on patrol duties - if they were lucky. If not they would have to evacuate the whole place. Honestly, he didn't want to think about that yet. It would be a dangerous undertaking and he was going to avoid it at any cost.

But if he was sleeping who would be driving? He looked at her. Driving an automatic car wasn't that hard at all. The directions were fairly simple, too. After all, she was a pureblood and it surely wouldn't overstrain her abilities.

They drove in silence for a while until he announced his decision.

"I will sleep if you drive."

Her face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.

He pulled over, got out and went around the car to open the door for her. The night had already fully settled. There were a handful of stars scattered across the sky and the air was crisp and clear. A perfect night.

They were in the middle of nowhere, the only noises that could be heard were those of some smaller animals that were wandering thru the underwood and the leaves rustling in the light breeze.

When she went past him, her enticing scent swirled around him, her hair brushing lightly against his arm. Her face looked pale in the darkness, her eyes dark as the night itself. He could see the stars reflecting in her orbs like diamonds scattered over black velvet. She looked simply breathtaking.

There wasn't much thinking involved from his part when he moved. His hand reached out to grab her arm, pulling her back close to him. Without any hesitation, he brought his other hand up against the back of her head and leaned in to kiss her.

God, this was perfect. All weariness left his body in a rush to make place for a much more pleasant feeling that spread quickly throughout his body. Her lips were soft and he had to hold back a little to not devour her on the spot. To his excitement, she molded into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He wanted to taste her so he parted her lips with his tongue and slid into her mouth. On the other side, her tongue was already there to greet him and the sensation made his head spin. Instinctively, his hand tightened his grip on her hair while his other hand moved down to the small of her back. There was too much fabric in the way so he pulled up her shirt. A small groan escaped his throat when he finally felt her bare skin beneath his fingertips.

Her skin was exactly as he had imagined it to be. Smooth with a silky texture and absolutely marvelous. His fingers trailed along the rim of her waistband for a second or two. She moaned in anticipation, pressing closer to him. She definitely was kissing him back fiercely now and he took it as an invitation to proceed. With a bit of tugging here and there, he managed to get his hand into her pants and on her deliciously round and firm ass.

His foggy mind barely registered all the impressions that were flooding his senses but he promised to himself to take a look at her rear end the next time he got a chance. If it looked how it felt it would be a mind blowing sight. He would certainly get down on his knees to kiss her cheeks. The image suddenly appeared very clear before his inner eye and whatever blood was left in his head rushed to the spot between his legs, making him grow even harder.

Although he didn't want to he broke the kiss to draw in some much needed air, hoping the oxygen would help him to clear his head. Dimly, he remembered where they were and what the actual objective was. Certainly not standing at the side of the road and kissing the lights out of the woman he was supposed to stay away from. But with his sex drive clearly taking over, the thought got buried under a wave of fervent ecstasy.

By applying a bit of gentle force, he rested her head on his shoulder. She complied willingly, sighing and moaning at the same time. He moved his hand soothingly up and down her back. Both of their hearts were racing in their chests, the noise of the blood rushing thru his veins a swoosh in his ears. Akane's mouth was dangerously close to the bend of his neck, her warm breath tickled the sensitive skin that covered his carotid artery. When her breathing became more elaborate and she pressed her moist lips onto his skin shortly thereafter, his mind went completely blank with bliss.

She made one of those little noises that had the potential to send him over the edge right there and his hand went back south to cover her bottom, pressing her lower body against his erected member which made her gasp in surprise and pleasure. As a response, she slid her hands around him to put some pressure on him by herself. The friction was exquisite torture, causing his strained member to throb painfully against the fly of his pants.

He groaned. It wouldn't take her much more to undo him. His desire for her was something he could barely control at the moment, if she was to bite him on top of that, he knew he would loose every bit of self-restraint that was left in him.

Her tongue licked over the spot where his pulse was beating at a frantic rate and his knees almost buckled. He needed some support so he took a step back, dragging her with him, to lean against the cabin of the truck. The coolness of the metal penetrated the fabric of his shirt and collided with his body heat. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had actually made a sizzling noise.

Akane was grinding the lower part of her body against his while her hands sneaked between them to the front of his pants. She was panting heavily now, her breaths mixed with delicate moans. With a few movements, she opened his belt and he all but bucked his hips against her in a rush of raw desire.

With one last effort, he stopped her. One hand closed around her wrist, the other held her pressed against his chest. He buried his face in her hair and drew in a shaky breath.

"Please, we must not… ", he whispered hoarsely. It surprised him that he had a voice left in him after all. God, by all means, he didn't want it to stop but they already had gone too far. Torn between his raging desire and his obligation toward Takuma not to take the woman he loved away from him, he prayed that his lust wouldn't consume him entirely. If Akane decided to proceed and bite him he wouldn't have much left to fight against it. Quite the contrary, he would ravish her right on the spot. There was no single doubt that it would be an absolutely pure and passionate experience.

But he knew that it would also stain them both. They had enough baggage already that they carried around and it would only complicate things further.

She was absolutely still in his arms. He released his grip around her wrist and hugged her tightly, having her heart beat racing against his rip cage. It caused him physical pain to see her in a vulnerable state like that. Holding her close to his heart like this, he realized that he really liked her. Hell, he would be damned if it wasn't more than that. There was not a chance that he would feel that way with a woman he just so liked. The revelation caught him completely off guard.

His first reaction was fear, a cold feeling clamped down on his chest, tightening his throat. He would end up hurt again since Akane would choose Takuma over him. The rational part of his brain chimed in and told himself not to overreact. But this wasn't something he could deal with rationally. No matter how he looked at it, the minute he had acknowledged his feelings he had given way to get bruised in return. And the setting wasn't one for a happy ending.

Would he be able to live thru it? Would he be standing aside this time and let someone else take the woman he wanted to be with away from him? Thoughts rushed thru his head like cars on a highway, leaving a blurry trail of fog behind that clouded his mind. The mixture of bone deep fatigue, sexual desire and heart ache made him sway a little.

Akane held him tighter in response, their embrace becoming more intense as if she was trying to steady him with her grip. He felt her head raise a little but he didn't allow her to catch a glimpse of his face, not wanting her to see his inner turmoil.

"Akatsuki?" she asked with a frail voice, the sound of his name dripping from her tongue sending shivers down his spine. He sighed and placed a chaste kiss on her temple.

When the first wave of panic had ebbed away, he rested his forehead on her shoulder in defeat.

Still a bit shaky, he tried to speak.

"I'm alright." It didn't' sound very convincing even to his own ears but it was what it was. As soon as he felt that his features were under control again, he lifted his head and looked into her face. His stomach plummeted when he saw tears glistening in her eyes.

Gently, he took her face between his hands and lowered his lips to hers in an innocent kiss, never breaking eye contact with her. When he pulled back, her eyes grew wide with realization.

"Akatsuki, I… "

Before she could say anything further, he sealed her lips with his finger.

"You don't have to say anything now." He led her to the driver's seat and waited for her to sit down before he closed the door.

"Let's get you some driver's lessons.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello everyone! First, I want to apologize for the long wait, summer has been busy and although I had thought to have plenty of time for writing, the opposite was the case - surprise, surprise (well, who was I kidding) ;-) Anyway, I hope everyone had a great and safe summer! Please read, enjoy and drop a review if you feel like it, it's much appreciated!**

Chapter 21

Driving was not a big of a deal at all. With the highway winding its way thru the landscape on a fairly easy route, all she had to do was keeping the pace and not going off the road by accident. It hadn't take Akatsuki long to show her the basics. During all that time, he had tried to avoid physical contact and, for some reason, it had made her sad. She was not sure if he could feel the same but when she touched him it was as if a light was lit in the darkest corner of her mind, shooing all the ghosts of her past away.

Akane watched Akatsuki's sleeping figure in the passenger's seat next to her. He had put his seat back a little to be more comfortable, his hands folded in his lap. She smiled at his sight. Kain looked so peaceful in his slumber, his forehead perfectly even, she had seen him worried on so many occasions that it was quite unusual to see him relaxed. His chest moved with every breath, the loose fabric revealing well defined muscles underneath.

The taste of his lips on hers still fresh in her memory, she suppressed the urge to sink her fingers into the red shock of hair of his. It stuck out to all sides, almost seemed to be alive with the kindly red color of a warm flame.

Her breath quickened almost instantly and she averted her eyes. His taste still on her tongue, the longing for his blood rose in her once again. She thought she had caged it for now but who was she kidding?

"Focus," she whispered to herself.

She had almost lost control over herself out there and even now, the longing seared thru her dangerously close beneath the surface of her skin. The scent of his arousal had been so enticing to her deprived senses and by recalling the memories, she could taste it, thick and sweet, on her lips. Remarkably enough, he had been able to resist. But she had known before that he was strong both in will and body.

The look on his face was something she would never forget. She didn't dare to think the word that she had seen clearly in his amber eyes. When she had tried to say something, Akatsuki had stopped her from doing so. Maybe it was for the best because she would have had told him that her feelings for him went well beyond physical attraction. But what would it do to him? She didn't want him to get hurt and she was not only referring to herself as a possible cause. Kaname had been very clear about what was expected from her.

The episode in the wood when Kaname had walked in on them was still giving her the creeps. Knowing that Kaname was infinitely powerful and witnessing it with her very own eyes were two different things. She couldn't shake off the memories as they passed in front of her inner eye.

…

_"Kaname!"_

_She wants to help Akatsuki but a look in Kaname's face tells her that it would be a bad idea. So all she can do is stand aside watching how the red haired vampire slowly goes down to his knees, one hand around his neck and desperately snapping for air. _

_Guilt, so heavy that it threatens to bend her knees, weighs on her. It is all her fault, she should not have allowed Akatsuki to get so close. The intimacy of the moment must have tipped Kaname over the edge, she knows how easily his temper flares. She alone has brought it upon Akatsuki and if this is not enough she has also betrayed Takuma._

_A wave of nausea washes over her and she has to fight against gravity. When it becomes too much to bear, she cries out again._

_"Kaname, please!" Her voice is somewhere between pleading and despair. Akatsuki's eyes become unfocused. He is on the ground now. Naked fear settles in her stomach._

_When her cousin gestures her to stand next to him, her legs obey. She walks over to where he stands, giving her best to let her steps look steady. In her heads, she is going thru her options, frantically. If she attacked Kaname she would either get injured or killed and what would that leave Akatsuki to? She could herself fall to her knees in front of the pureblood and beg for mercy but it would only give him the certainty that Akatsuki means something to her. _

_So all she does is take her place at her cousin's side, watching in horror. The sight of the red haired vampire how is struggling for air makes her stomach turn. She has to force herself to stand still, suppressing the urge to rush to his side for aide. Just as she thinks that she bursts any second Kaname releases his grip. Akatsuki slumps to the ground like a bag of sand and draws in a wheezing breath followed by heavy coughing._

_"Get up."_

_She all but jumps at the sound of Kaname's voice. Akatsuki has no choice than standing up, to movement looks rather unnatural to her, more like someone has grabbed his collar and is pulling him up._

_Oh God. She presses her lips together so no sound may escape but she knows that her eyes are wide with fear and concern. Clenching her teeth so hard that it is painful, she watches him straighten his shoulders. He manages to stand in a fully upright position, still coughing. Still holding on to her breath, the range of emotions that is rushing thru her lets her knees go weak. It is almost impossible to uphold her posture but Akane does not allow herself to show any of it._

_"Kaname-sama." The sound of Akatsuki's raspy voice hurts her heart._

_Next to her, Kaname stirs, shifting his weight to one foot and relaxes the tiniest bit._

_"Kain." _

_In a moment of weakness, she is tempted to reach out to him. She desperately wants to make sure that he is alright and the only way to know seems to touch him. Akatsuki notices her distress since he is shaking his head toward her. The movement was barely above a perceptible level but she could see it nonetheless. Reluctantly, she stays put but the tension and worry are literally ripping her apart inwardly._

_The next minutes pass by but she is not able to follow the one-sided conversation properly. Too much is going on in her head. She does not believe that Kaname would have actually killed Akatsuki but her cousin has taught a lesson to both of them. _

_Being a part of the Kuran family, she is subordinate to Kaname. The whole episode is about demonstrating who has power. Neither of them has, Akatsuki is _only _a noble and although she is a pureblood, she is just a small piece in the grand scheme of things. Kaname would rip her to shreds in a matter of second, that she is sure of._

_"I wish to speak to my cousin - alone." That yanks her right back into the present. The pureblood's voice is smooth like a sheet of polished metal._

_She braces herself mentally for what there is to come but not before throwing a last glance at Akatsuki. Relieved, she comes to the conclusion that he will be fine. If she has learnt one thing about him during this short time he has been with her is that he is strong._

_Looking after him as he vanishes between the trees to go back to the house, she does not see it coming. The sharp sting of pain and the coppery taste of blood on her lip let her realize that Kaname just slapped her with full strength. Her head tilts to the side, following the momentum of his swing. As an immediate reaction, she plants both her feet firmly on the ground to not loose her balance._

_The second reaction is rage. Son of a bitch! She shakes her head, a sharp hiss escaping her throat. When the initial pain and the first moments of confusion subside, she starts wrapping her head around what Kaname just did to her. _

_That is a turn point. He has never used physical punishment on her before. Not that she didn't know that he wasn't capable, it simply never occurred to her that he would actually act on it. As the stinging subsides, her bruised pride gets to her. She was never one to accept humiliation easily. In fact, she wouldn't be Rido Kuran's daughter if she backed down now. Just because she agreed to support Kaname's plans does not imply that he is allowed to deal with her at will. She might not match his power - yet, that is - but she is going to lay down the rules for him one last time._

_No matter how guilty she feels about all of this, putting Akatsuki into danger and being unfaithful toward Takuma, she pushes these feelings aside. They will be dealt with later. She has no doubt that it will be a painful process but she has maneuvered herself into this and she will need to fix it. Later. Mentally, she neatly stows away all the guilt and pain in a small box and puts it in a far away corner of her mind so that they won't interfere with what she is about to do. At least, she hopes it._

_Drawing in a breath, she lifts up her chin, meeting Kaname's eyes. It certainly takes her a conscious effort not to clench her fists but her intention is not to fight but to set the table between the both of them._

_"You will not do that again, Kuran Kaname." Her voice is surprisingly steady. It is a statement, not a threat. A tiny drop of blood has formed on the corner of her mouth, the wound already closing. She does not bother to wipe it off._

_Several seconds pass without either of them speaking or moving. Then, very slowly, Kaname raises the hand he just slapped her with to examine the blood streak that is on his pointer finger. First, he brings it up to his nose and sniffs at it, lowering it to his mouth a second later._

_Watching every single move, Akane stands very still. Her heart is beating in her throat. When he is about to taste the traces of her blood with his tongue, she holds her breath. Unable to take her eyes off the red mark on his finger, panic creeps up on her. Is he going to taste her? Everything in her is writhing away from him, starting with her toenails and ending with the tip of the roots of her hair. The impulse to flee crawls over her skin and she is almost about to give in._

_Just as she thinks she cannot bear it anymore, Kaname lowers his hand, a smug smile on his lips._

_"Very well then, dear cousin." There is a very thin layer of menace in his voice, quite subtle, yes, but still for her to notice._

_Bastard. She really wants to wipe that smirk off his face but that would just be an unnecessary act of violence from her side. Besides, she cannot allow herself to loose control of her temper, she worked too hard to keep it locked up in the first place._

_She slowly releases the breath she has been holding. Time to move on. She hopes her smile doesn't look too toothy when she starts to speak._

_"So, please, tell me what brings me the honor of your visit, Kaname?" Not that she cares but the sooner he tells her the sooner he leaves._

_"I am here to remind you that you are claimed by Ichijo Takuma." He makes a pause as if to emphasize the importance of what he is going to say next. Upholding the neutral smile becomes a hard thing to do for Akane but she manages even though her heart is leaping in her chest upon the sound of her lover's name. But she will be damned if she looses control now._

_"And it seems that my visit is necessary." His head turns slightly into the direction where Akatsuki went a couple of minutes ago but his eyes never leave her face. She knows that he wants to see every bit of her reaction. It is almost comical to see the disappointment on Kaname's face when she doesn't deliver. Well, it is not only him who can play that game._

_With all her might, she keeps her emotions in check, not letting them rise to the surface._

_Takuma. The name echoes in her head again and again. A sharp pain cuts thru her chest when the memories of the blonde vampire with the emerald eyes come alive anew. Even at the chance to give herself away, she cannot help but ask the one question that has been burning on her tongue since his name fell. She fears that if she does not ask now the uncertainty will eat her from the inside out. Steady, Akane, steady - she keeps repeating the words in her head until she is sure that the words she is about to say won't sound shaky._

_"Is he alive?" Silently, she prays that he is. There is not anything on this earth she wouldn't do or endure if it only was for the sole purpose to ensure his wellbeing._

_If there is a color darker than black, it would be the right one to describe the shade of Kaname's eyes._

_His larynx moves visibly as if he is trying to swallow a big chunk of food and her heart sinks to the bottom of her stomach. Her limbs go numb, her knees are about to buckle. It cannot be, Takuma is not dead. She would have known anyhow if it was the case, wouldn't she? The uncertainty is almost too much to bear while an icy cold eats its way all the way down her spinal cord. What if Kaname came here to break the news to her?_

_After what seems to be an eternity, he answers her question._

_"I do not know." Without any emotion in it, Kaname's voice carries the message over to her. Incredulously, she stares back at him. He does not know? What does that mean? What have you gotten yourself into, IchijoTakuma? When he came to her that very night, she didn't ask any questions. Not only because she didn't want to spoil the moment but also because she sensed that he would not be going to answer them. Although he said that he loved her, he was still loyal to Kaname, and she doubts that Takuma would put any woman before that said loyalty. Not even her._

_The realization stings a little but deep inside, she has known it all along. Kaname only repays the favor and protects his best friend's interests while he cannot be doing so._

_All she can rely on now is the intuition in her heart that the man she has been in love with since she was a teenager is still out there somewhere. _

_The uncertainty must be troubling for Kaname, too, and her attitude softens a little._

_"I will consider your advise, cousin." And exactly that it is - an advise. No more and no less. She will not let her cousin order her around and take control of her life. Two years - sometimes, she has been at the brink of despair, not receiving any life sign from Takuma and being left behind alone. For God's sake, she has been waiting for two years. What else does she have to do?_

_Kaname's response shifts her attention back to him._

_"Fair enough." She cannot tell if he is mad at her since his face is a mask, not giving away any emotion._

_"You will make sure that my orders are carried out accordingly. Time is of the essence."_

_"Yes, Kaname," she replies politely, hoping that he will leave fairly soon. She wants to go back to her house, Akatsuki must be there by now._

_Finally, he makes his exit, as suddenly as he has come._

_The moment, the pureblood leader is out of sight, she feels the panic attack coming with full force. Stupefied, it suddenly gets hard for her to draw in air. There is not much she can do than surrender. When the worst is over she moves one foot after the other, getting faster with every step until she is running blindly thru the woods back to the cabin._

…

So many thoughts had rushed thru her head on her way back, she remembered to have become a little bit dizzy by all of it. But the name she had been chanting in her mind all the way, hadn't been Takuma's.

She shook her head quietly. This was a mess. She was not supposed to feel this way, Kaname was right. She was Takuma's and when he would come back he would expect her to be at his side. If time came, would she be ready to take Takuma's hand and turn her back on Akatsuki?

The road in front of her kept winding endlessly, almost mocking her.

She couldn't brush of the feeling that she had lost who she was somewhere between the point when Takuma had left and now. Her thoughts drifted to her nanny. Satoko had spent so many hours to teach her, never had ceased to tell her that as long as she knew what was in her heart she would be able to find a way. But at this very moment, everything seemed to be slipping away.

…

_"Stop worrying about your powers, Akane." The tiny old woman takes her position, sword drawn. _

_"Powers are just powers, it depends what you do with them. It is about what is in here." She pauses and places a hand above the spot where her heart is. "And now defend yourself!"_

_With an outcry, she charges forward, both hands on the sword now and Akane has to scramble to ward off her attack._

…

The memory faded away and Akane noticed that the next day was approaching very soon. There was a small streak of light at the horizon announcing the sun. Still contemplating her options, she suppressed a yawn.

Satoko had always been so practical. Act now, worry later. Things would come in time, have faith. Listen to your instincts. Stuff like that and Akane had been constantly amazed by the strength and energy that this tiny woman had held. Her death had not come unexpected due to her age but it had crushed her nonetheless. Since she had never really had a mother, Satoko had been the closest thing.

Sadness covered her, a worn cozy blanket that dampened the actual pain of the loss she had experienced. It was like an old friend that reliably showed up when things got hurtful, especially emotionally.

She sighed inwardly. It would not do anybody any good if she kept worrying. All she had to do was to put one foot after the other on that unknown path she had taken a few days ago. Although she could not see far ahead, she had to have faith. And, she was not alone, Akatsuki was with her. His words echoed in her head, he had promised to keep her safe.

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and her eyes wandered to the sleeping figure next to her. He was so responsible and sincere, she liked that. In a way, it made his advances even more irresistible. There was something pure and innocent about them that caused her heart to beat faster and ache with longing. Why was that again?

The landscape changed slightly, woods made space for fields and small hills covered with grass, lush and green. She knew from what Akatsuki had told her that it wouldn't be far now anymore.

Time passed by and she tried to keep her thoughts away from the vampire that was sleeping in the passenger seat. The attempt was futile though. There was no way for her not thinking about Akatsuki when he was in close proximity. His scent, his blood, his voice and not to forget his touch. The memory of how his hands had felt on her skin earlier let her shift in the driver's seat, trying to ignore the pull in her lower abdomen.

When she had come back to cabin after Kaname had surprised them in the woods, he had been there waiting for her. It had been a relief to see him doing ok. He had stared at her face, his eyes glued to the drop of blood on her lip. She had watched as realization had dawned on him and for the tiniest fraction, anger had flickered thru his features. It was the kind of raw anger that is fueled by betrayal or hate, making her wonder what Kaname had done to him. Maybe it had something to do with this woman, Ruka?

She shook her head and dismissed the nagging feeling in the back of her head. No way that she could be jealous, couldn't she? Her hands clasped the steering wheel in an attempt to concentrate. It was none of her business anyway.

Next to her, Akatsuki stirred.

She held her breath. He needed the rest and she feared that, if he woke up now, he would not be rested enough to endure the next couple of days. Trying very hard to maintain an inconspicuous way of driving, she stared at the road in front of her. Counting the numbers of lines in the middle of the highway helped to calm down her fuzzy mind. When she had reached 100, she started over. Then over again, and over again until the only thing that was left in her head was a monotone litany of numbers.

His sleepy voice drifted over to her.

"How long have I been out?" Akatsuki mumbled, almost causing her to jump out of her seat. The truck swayed dangerously to the left shoulder but before the tires could touch the grass Akatsuki's hand grabbed the steering wheel, leading the car back on its course. There was a bit of sliding and she could her the wolves scramble on the truck bed but he got the situation under control in a heartbeat, thanks to his reflexes that never seemed to sleep.

Akane stared in shock at the hand that was covering hers. He had moved over the middle panel to interfere and was now very close with his arm touching her side and his face only a foot away from hers.

"Easy…" Akatsuki's voice was still husky from just waking up and the timbre made her stomach react in a funny but not uncomfortable way. In fact, she was glad that he was holding on to the steering wheel, otherwise they would have been in the ditch by now. Her skin burned from his touch. Why was she reacting this way? They had kissed and she had his blood but it scared the hell out of her that she wanted more. To be honest, her need for him at this moment was so strong that it threatened to overwhelm her.

Clutching her fingers around the leather coated wheel more firmly, she kept her eyes on the street. Tears started to linger behind her eyes.

'Oh, dear Lord, please don't let me cry', she prayed silently, blinking the tears away. The least thing she wanted Akatsuki to see was in which miserable state she was in right now.

His hand still covered hers and she could feel his eyes scanning her features. Trapped in her spot, she endured his gaze as best as she could without averting her face.

"You are hurting." It was a statement, not a question.

She swallowed hard upon his assessment, he had no idea how much, still avoiding to look at him. She knew that it would be the end of her. If he wasn't to going to stop staring at her she would burst into tears.

"Akane?" He was definitely worried now.

She was doomed. Somehow, she was convinced that he would not give up this time, not after what had happened outside the car earlier and she was terrified of where this was going. If she gave in now there would be no turning back later.

From the corner of her eye, she watched how his face took on a determined expression. Her heart sank even further.

"Please, Akatsuki." She pleaded with a small voice.

"Slow down and pull over." And after a second, he added, more softly: "Please."

She did as she had been told and they came to a stop. The night was over, the sun had emerged in the east and was sending the first bright rays of light over the trees. It was going to be a beautiful day.

The wolves had gotten up, she could hear their claws making this tick noise on the metal of the truck bed. Maybe she should get out to check on them? Her gaze fell on Akatsuki's hand that still held hers and decided against it. The sooner she faced him the better, at least she hoped that she was about to do the right thing.

His apprehension was almost palpable, she could feel his heartbeat quickening thru the touch of their hands. Her own hurried to match the pace, betraying her feelings.

They sat silently for a while. In opposite to the silence in the truck cabin, the noise in her head was deafening. It took her a minute to calm down her senses to a level that allowed her to think clearly. In her current state, she wouldn't be able to form a comprehensive sentence, let alone a conversation. So she drew in a shaky breath and started to sort out the strings, being watched patiently by Akatsuki's amber eyes all the time.

The first one was easy. She had promised Kaname to carry out his orders and that she was going to do. The hunters had to be stopped, her despisement for them was endless.

But she had never agreed to anything else. Her cousin had not been exactly contrite but he had accepted her demand not to interfere with her personal matters. She wasn't really sure how good his word was and if he was not trying behind her back to work against her. Although, it did not matter to her. If Kaname wasn't forthcoming with her, she did not have to be with him either.

All that mattered was that she had to be honest to the man in front of her and to herself. Denying what she felt for Akatsuki was not going to spare her any pain. Maybe, if they were apart, it would be easier. But not like this, with him in such close proximity where she could smell and touch him. When both their skin met, it was blissfully scorching her senses, leaving her wanting more. In fact, she wanted to feel him completely, skin on skin, everywhere. The sole thought of them having that kind of physical contact, sent shivers down her spine.

Her need for him was raw like the need of a drowning person for a lifesaver, it surprised her how pristine her feelings were, she had not thought it was possible to experience this level of emotions with another man than Takuma. Akatsuki, on the other hand, was so pure and honest, she had known the first time they had met. She did not want him to get hurt.

Which was the whole point that it came down to. No matter how she looked at it, she had a bad feeling that he would get hurt and she would never forgive herself. Earlier this night, outside the car, she had gotten a glimpse at the torment he was in. He had wanted her just as badly as she had wanted him and she remembered how shaky he had been when he had stopped himself. Was she really that selfish to draw him in again just to satisfy her lust?

Her eyes brimmed up with tears, and this time, she could not stop them from falling.

"Akane." His voice was very soft and quiet. His other hand touched her chin, coaxing her to look at him.

So she did. Holding her breath, she turned her head and looked into his beautiful face. With his thumb, gently, he wiped away her tears and actually smiled at her. Still not being able to breathe, she watched in awe as he closed in. His eyes were gleaming with fear, hope, hunger and - love?

"Akatsuki." She whispered, batting her eyes. Since his name was all she could say, she put everything of her own fear, hope, and - yes - love in it, praying that, between all the layers, he would be able to understand that she needed him. Her intentions were good, she just desperately wanted him to know that she would never deliberately harm him. He was precious to her, his company made her content to the core and she wanted to be with him.

When his lips met hers, she shut her eyes in delight. The kiss was chaste, yet with an underlying passion that awoke her desire in a heartbeat. The heat that was radiating off Akatsuki enfolded her completely and she released her breath into his mouth, half sighing, half moaning. Good Lord, she was positively on fire! The muscles in her stomach knotted together, she felt the sweet pressure building inside of her.

The inner side of her eyes went gleaming red and lust washed over her.

Akatsuki remained perfectly motionless, his lips still covering her mouth, hand under chin. She sensed his hesitation and fought with herself whether to break his wall of restraint. Her heartbeat was off the charts already and she only was holding on by a thread which meant that the tiniest move from him would tip her over the edge.

And then he moved, gently loosing her grip from the steering wheel and taking her hand to place it on his chest directly across his hammering heart. His palm covered hers, holding her firmly pressed against the fabric of his shirt. His heartbeat matched the pace of her own and she wondered briefly how his bare skin would actually feel like. The thought was wiped away a second later when his other hand left her chin to trail down to her breast, cupping it.

It was almost as if she heard her self-control snap in her head. She drew in a sharp breath and kissed him back with all her might. Her tongue parted his lips, the taste of his desire, thick and sweet, welcoming her.

With a swift move, she unbuckled herself and pushed him back into the passenger seat, following him shortly thereafter. Akatsuki gasped in surprise but quickly regained what was left of his composure. Eyes wide open, he stared at her with arrant longing as she climbed across the middle panel to where he was leaning back in his seat.

Even though the truck was fairly spacious, it was a rather confined space for two tall persons so her thighs were pressed either of his side when she straddled him. His hands were holding on to her hips and she could feel his hard member throbbing against her sex. That alone all but undid her. To her frustration, he held her firmly in place, not letting her move. His breathing was ragged, just like her own, and the amber color of his orbs was tainted red.

She was euphoric. Her body was attuned to his to a degree that was almost painful. A look into his face told her that he was feeling the same. They simply stared at each other, drinking in the sensations.

Slowly, Akatsuki released her hips only to pull her even closer to him until her head came to a rest in the bend of his neck. She could feel the steady drum of his pulse on her cheek. It was calling her, a relentless rhythm that put her under a spell and she was its willing victim.

As she was captured in his embrace, she had some time to notice all the small details about him. How strong he was. How enticing he smelled. How broad his chest and shoulder actually were. And, when she thought about the friction between her legs, how aroused he was. Only that was definitely not a small detail. She felt the blood rushing into her cheeks by the lone thought of Akatsuki's manhood and pressed her face into the pit just below his collar bone.

God, he was going to be the death of her. What were they doing anyway? Lust quickly grew into frustration when she thought about how messed up the situation they were in actually was. There was no way around it, she had to make a decision and she had to do it quickly before things progressed even further - which was bound to happen given the sexually charged atmosphere between the two of them. She really wanted this, him, all of it. There was not any place she'd rather be at this very moment than in Akatsuki's arms.

And suddenly, everything was clear. It had always been him. From the first time she had laid eyes on him in the night he had showed up on her doorstep, she had been drawn to him. Unconsciously at first, but when she had invaded his mind, she had glimpsed behind the wall that he had built around him and seen the beauty of his soul. His strength, his sincerity, his vulnerability. When she had had his blood, all of these had been amplified, the first drop on her tongue had been a revelation.

Raising her head, she sought out his eyes. When their gazes met, her mouth opened slightly, releasing a small gasp. His orbs were blazing with desire, red circles of fire that scorched her insides.

Oh, was he going to bite her? The butterflies in her stomach had already started the happy dance all over her sanity and she was more than willing to follow suit.

As in slow motion, his hand trailed up her back all the way up to neck to push away her hair. His fingertips touched the sensitive spot right beneath her earlobe and then drew a line down to where her carotid artery was pulsing visibly under her skin. All her thoughts were wiped off the board, leaving only blissful emptiness in her head. The touch, light as a feather, made her all but faint with anticipation.

"Do it, please." She whispered, her voice not much more than a breath, barely audible. That was all she could say.


End file.
